Time Sense
by Gentle Hobbit
Summary: COMPLETE - Ten and Rose are back in their home universe, but Ten is confined to Earth. Can their mission from UNIT to investigate strange events on Lindisfarne satisfy Rose and Ten's craving for adventure and travel, and soften their sense of loss?
1. The Castle

**Author's Notes:** This story is a sequel to_** The Trial of Ten**_. While there are a few references to that story, it isn't necessary to read it to understand this new one. The main thing to understand is that Ten and Rose have been posted at Lindisfarne Castle by UNIT and are posing as caretakers while investigating strange occurrences on the island. They are freelancers, but their supervisor/contact is Martha.

Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The story has already been written and completed. I will be posting a new chapter once or twice a week (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

**Disclaimer:** This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 1:** _The Castle_

* * *

The last bit of Tardis blue faded, taking Eleven with it. Ten and Rose stood alone on the rocky shore with their arms around each other, and they watched as their old home disappeared. Then, as the sea raged around them, they turned to where they would live now. Lindisfarne Castle stood above them on a rocky hill, looking across the water to the mainland of northern England.

Ten cleared his throat, and slowly let go of Rose. He moved as if to speak, but instead swallowed and silently took her hand. She smiled up at him, and then it was as if something released-let go. He smiled back at her, as if saying that now, right now, he need not heed the past. He squeezed her hand, and they picked their way over the rocks, onto the path and up the hill towards their new life.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

'Our very own castle,' breathed Rose.

'Well! Not exactly ours,' said Ten, looking up and around with curiosity.

'But... a castle!' She almost bounced on the spot.

He grinned at her. 'I know!' He grabbed her hand. 'Come on!' He pulled her up the last of the slope and soon they were standing in front of a low, arched, wooden door with a decidedly modern lock.

'Hang on...' She dug in a large envelope. 'I remember a key in here somewhere.'

'Right!' he said and he looked into his own envelope. 'Martha thinks of everything. And UNIT's no slouch.'

'Here it is.' She brought out a Yale key. 'Just like the Tardis. A little bit of home.'

Ten looked dubiously at the key dangling from her fingers. 'I don't know,' he mused, sniffing. He took the key and turned it over and over. Then he shook it. 'Is that a key for a castle? I ask you. I mean, a really old, stone, ancient, atmospheric castle? I'd think a key should be all heavy and iron with a lock that goes "clunk" when you turn it... like it really means something. Not a little, flat, common key.'

'Oh, all right, then,' she said. 'We can go back to UNIT and ask to trade up for a castle with an older lock.'

He nodded slowly. 'Yeah. Yeah... we should do that.'

They looked at each other then and laughed.

'Give me that, silly.' Rose snatched the key back. She fitted it into the lock and it turned quietly and smoothly.

They pushed their way in. The door opened without a creak which earned another sniff from Ten, but when they turned around to close it, he sighed with satisfaction.

'Now, that's more like it,' he said approvingly.

An old, heavy wooden bar rested in equally old wrought iron brackets on the back of the door. A matching bracket was bolted to the wooden door frame.

'There!' he said. 'You can lock anyone out with that!' They slid the end of the bar over into the doorframe bracket and then turned around to see where they were.

They stood at the end of a short, dim corridor with a low ceiling. Ten's hair nearly brushed the electrical cables crossing overhead.

'No jumping up and down in here,' said Rose. 'You'd knock yourself out.'

'Hm!' He made his way down the corridor and looked into the first open doorway on the left. 'Kitchenette. Oh, and living room, er, area. Microwave... television... Blimey! Telly, Yale locks... You lot have modernized everything!'

'Fusspot,' said Rose. She poked her head into doorway on the right. 'Here's the bedroom.' She laughed.

'What?' asked Ten. He came to her side.

'I think they don't know what to make of us.' She gestured. Two beds were inside, a double and a single. The mattresses were still covered in the manufacturer's plastic with wrapped bedding lying at the foot.

'Covered against all possibilities,' he murmured. 'That'll be Martha again.' He looked at Rose. 'Then again, I don't think I know quite what to make of us. At least-' He gestured at the beds. '-for this.'

'We never had a chance, did we,' said Rose. 'It was Dad's house while you were getting used to being human, then it was hospitals and laboratories for you after that.'

Ten shuddered. 'And a jail cell after that. Hm! Well. You think about it, then you let me know tonight how we're going to sort this.'

'All right.' She smiled up at him. 'Thanks,' she said softly.

He nodded. He rummaged around in his envelope, took out his key and pocketed it. 'Let's leave these in the living room and look at the rest of the castle.'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

There was only one more door which led a small office. This last was at the end of the corridor, but through it they found another door that led out into the main hall of the castle.

'Hey,' said Rose, puzzled. 'This looks like the main part of the castle. But I didn't see a toilet. There... there is a toilet, yeah?'

Ten shook his head. 'Doubt it. A bit hard to put in modern plumbing in a stone castle on top of volcanic rock. There's probably something outside. I saw an addition at the back of the castle. Big enough for a toilet and shower.'

'Ugh,' she said. 'Hope I won't have to go in the middle of the night.'

He didn't answer. Instead, he gazed up and around at the stone pillars that stood through the hall. He grinned and looked at Rose. 'It's tiny, as castles go, but it almost, you might say, "looks bigger..."'

'...on the inside,' completed Rose. 'Just don't start calling it a TARDIS. Unless it really is one.'

'No,' murmured Ten. He laid a hand on one of the reddish pillars and stroked it thoughtfully. 'Just stone. Old, though. It feels good. Solid.'

'Let's go up to the roof,' suggested Rose.

'All right. Get the lay of the land?'

They climbed a set of stairs and passed through a gallery with wooden beams overhead. After more steps came another gallery through which they found a strong, oak door. Undoing the heavy latch, Ten pushed it open.

They emerged, blinking, into the late afternoon sun. The wind roared around them, immediately whipping Rose's hair around her face and making Ten's coat flap.

'Ah!' he said, raising his voice. 'The smell of the sea. That salt tang. Love it!'

'What? You couldn't smell it down below?' she teased.

'Well, not like this-blowing in your face, with the sea all around, standing on top of a medieval castle. This... this is perfection, this is!'

She wrapped her arms around him. 'I love seeing you this happy. 'Specially since you're... you're...' She faltered.

'Grounded?' he said gently. He tucked some strands of hair behind her ear.

'Yeah,' she said. 'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up.'

'It's okay,' he whispered. He put his arm around her and was silent for a moment. Then with a small jerk, as if trying to free himself from his thoughts, he waved expansively with his free arm to the sky, the sea and the parapet around them. 'We have all this! And a mystery to solve. An adventure! What could be better?'

'Not much,' she agreed.

He looked at her then and turned her so they both faced out to sea. He wrapped both arms around her. 'Your mum and dad, perhaps,' he murmured in her ear.

She brought her hands up and curled them over his forearms. 'I made my choice,' she said firmly. 'I miss them, but I'm where I belong. Don't you fret about that! Don't you dare. Promise?'

'I promise,' he answered, but tightened his arms around her.

They stood like that for a while, listening to the seagulls crying above them, the wind whistling around the stonework of the tower, and the waves crashing on the rocks. Rose closed her eyes and revelled in the warmth of the sun on her face and the gentle strength of Ten's arms holding her close.

Then he kissed the top of her head and let her go. He bounded over to the parapet. For just a moment, he stumbled, overbalanced and wavered on one foot.

'Doctor!' she shrieked and dashed towards him.

He clutched at the wall before righting himself. 'Whoops,' he said a little breathlessly. He looked over. 'That's a long way down...'

'Don't do that!' she shouted. 'You idiot. You nearly fell.'

'Sorry,' he said meekly.

Rose grasped his shoulders and turned him to face her. 'Eleven said you'd be clumsy for a while. You still aren't used to being back in this universe. Remember that, yeah? I don't want to lose you.'

He nodded.

'It's not even been a fortnight since we came back,' she continued, her voice rising. 'You've spent most of your time lying down, or sitting. You don't know your own body right now. No regeneration, remember? I don't think you really realize, yet.'

'Hey,' he said softly and once more put his arms around her. 'My poor Rose,' he said. She clutched at him and he rocked her back and forth a little. 'It's been hard on you, these past two weeks. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll take care. I promise.'

'You'd better,' she said between sniffs. She pushed him away then and took a deep breath. 'Right. Let's go adventuring. Find out what UNIT's "unexplained events" are, yeah?'

He flashed a brilliant smile at her. 'Yeah,' he said. 'I think it's time to meet our neighbours.' He gazed over the land around them. 'Well, distant neighbours. Er, townsfolk. Shall we take a walk?'

'Yeah,' she said.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It wasn't long before they reached the village. Flowers grew in profusion along the low stone walls along the left and trees leaned their branches over the path. On the right, old stone houses lined the road. Robins and chaffinches trilled and warbled in the bushes.

'Idyllic,' commented Ten.

'Yeah,' said Rose. 'But I've been thinking. We're going to need stuff.'

'Stuff?' he echoed.

'Stuff,' she said firmly. 'You know... Pyjamas, shampoo, more clothes... stuff. All we have is what's on us right now.'

'Oh.' He scratched the back of his head. 'Didn't think of that.'

'You wouldn't.' She slapped his arm playfully. 'Look. Why don't we find the shops, see if there's a cashpoint somewhere. Get us set up, yeah?'

'All right,' he responded vaguely. Then he brightened. 'That looks like a bookshop down that street. I like bookshops.'

'Uh oh,' she said. 'Right. I'll look around, you go to the bookshop. We'll meet there in an hour.'

'All right,' he said happily.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Ten was not in the bookstore when Rose returned thirty minutes later; however, it didn't take long for her to find him. She could see him two blocks away, leaning against a stone wall and chatting animatedly to a plump, elderly woman in her front garden.

As Rose started down the road, the woman opened the gate and Ten walked through. She sat him down in a garden chair and promptly disappeared into the house.

By the time Rose reached the house, the woman had come back out with a plate covered in biscuits and slices of cake. She looked up after placing the plate on a small table in front of Ten and stared for just a moment. She said something to Ten and he twisted around in his chair. A smile spread over his face when he saw Rose.

'Ah!' he said enthusiastically. 'Wonderful! I've just met this lady who's been telling me all sorts of fascinating things about Holy Island. She's an absolute font of information.'

The woman beamed. 'Anything you want to know, you come to me. I'm Betty. Sit down, lovey, there's a chair beside your husband.'

'Oh,' said Rose. 'He's not-'

'We're not-' said Ten. They looked at each other and then back at the woman.

'Ohh... I see.' Betty looked slightly scandalized, but then nodded and considered them. 'What's the term you young folk are using nowadays. Lovers? Partners?'

Ten and Rose looked at each other again. She spoke first. 'Something like that.'

He nodded. 'Partners. I like partners. But... best leave it to her to define it,' he murmured in a slightly conspiratorial tone.

Betty laughed. 'Very wise of you.' A whistle sounded through the open door. 'Just a moment. The tea.' With that she bustled inside the house. The sound of rattling cups soon started.

Ten leaned towards Rose. 'Apparently,' he said in a low voice, 'the islanders already know about us. News travels fast in small communities. And... people have been seeing things around the priory.'

'Priory?'

'Just on the edge of town, near the shore. Ancient. Built around 860 years ago. Mostly ruins now, though there's a church still beside it about the same age.'

'Oh. So, what kind of things?'

He shrugged. "Don't know. That's when she invited me in.'

She shook her head. 'You're further than I am. I don't think people do much shopping here-I mean, for everyday things. There was a cashpoint in the information office, but that was closed. There's a sort of main shop near the bookshop for bits of all sorts of things, and other ones for tourists, but not really much for what we need.'

He nodded. He pulled out a small, black comb from his pocket. 'I picked this up at the main shop. Only 10p. We'll probably have to go to the mainland for anything bigger.'

'We'll have to catch a ferry,' she said.

He shook his head. 'No ferries. This isn't actually an island-not a complete one, at any rate. It's a tidal island. There's a causeway at low tide. We could walk, though it would take a while. And we'd have to keep track of time.'

'Maybe someone could give us a ride,' Rose mused, but at that moment, Betty returned bearing a tray with teapot, cups and saucers.

'Did I hear you asking about a ride?' she queried, setting the tray down. 'Don't you have a car?'

'No,' said Rose.

'Oh! You'll find this place a bit cut off if you don't have a car.' Betty set out the cups and poured a liberal helping of milk into each one and added two teaspoons of sugar. As she poured the tea, she spoke again. 'Mind you, I'm going into town tomorrow with George... a gentleman friend of mine. You'd be welcome to come with us if you'd like.'

'Oh, that would be brilliant,' enthused Rose. 'Thanks!' She took the tea offered her and took a sip. It was strong, much stronger than her mum had ever made and she nearly choked.

Ten grinned. 'You've made her happy. Chance to shop.' He took his own tea and added another teaspoon of sugar. He took a large gulp and exhaled noisily. 'Ahh, marvellous. Now this... this is tea! Marvellous brew of tannins, anti-oxidants and free radicals all swirling together. Guaranteed to keep you going practically forever! My compliments to the expert!'

Betty beamed. 'Lor' bless you. It's so refreshing to see appreciation in young folk these days. They all want to go and have cappuccinos and lattes and whatever have you. I've always said there's nothing like tea.'

'I couldn't agree more,' said Ten. He flashed her a brilliant smile. He took another swallow and set the cup down. He sat back in his chair and crossed his legs casually. 'Now, Betty, you were telling me about people seeing things around the priory. What more can you tell me?'

'Ooh, yes!' she said and she sat down promptly. 'Well, it's the strangest thing, and everyone's been talking about it. Not to the tourists, mind you-they don't need to know anything-but we all know, of course. And since you'll be living with us, you should too. In fact, my goodness... yes, you'll need to.'

'What have people seen?' asked Ten, leaning forward.

'Well! It's ever so peculiar,' she said, her voice dropping to a whisper even though no-one was near them. 'Ghosts, some say. Drifting-like. All ghostly, whitish. Usually at dusk. Others say monsters... with claws!'

Rose blinked. 'That... that sounds like two different things.'

'It does,' mused Ten. 'Are you sure? Have you seen them?'

Betty settled back in her chair and her voice returned to its normal tone. 'No, dear. I'm afraid I haven't. But I know several people who have. George saw something the other day. Mabel and Polly were walking by the priory and saw something last week. They're the ones who said monsters. And then Anne... Ooh!' Betty clapped her hand to her mouth and looked at Ten with big eyes. 'That's right. Anne... now she saw something at the castle-where you two are staying. Perhaps you will see something.'

Ten nodded slowly and sat back. 'Maybe we will.'

At that moment, the door of the next house opened, and a tall, thin man with grey hair and bristly beard came out.

'Yoo hoo,' called Betty. 'Arthur, I have the new couple here-the ones taking over from Jack.'

'Oh, right!' said Arthur, and he leaned over the wall, avoiding the rose bushes that lined most of the partition. 'I saw you arrive earlier this afternoon. I saw the jeep. Awfully military. What was that all about, hm?'

'Jeep?' Ten frowned, then his expression cleared. 'Ah! Yes. The jeep. Oh! Well, that was our good friend Martha. She, er...' He cleared his throat. 'Gave us a lift. Didn't she, Rose.'

'Oh, yeah.' She nodded vigourously.

'They don't have a car, Arthur,' said Betty. 'I'm taking them into town tomorrow. When's tide out?'

'You should be fine by ten,' he answered. 'Make sure you're back by four.' He turned to Rose and Ten. 'There's usually a six- or seven-hour gap when it's safe to cross the causeway, but you have to give yourself enough time to return.'

'Right,' said Rose. 'Um... there's no food at the castle, and the restaurants are closed. Where can we go to get something?'

'Don't you worry about that, dear,' said Betty. 'I'm having a friend or two over tonight for tea. There'll be enough for two more if you don't mind us old folk.'

'Ooh,' said Rose and she looked at Ten hopefully.

'That'd be brilliant!' He grinned and held out his cup. 'Any chance for more of your excellent tea?'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

'That was so good,' said Rose as they began their walk back to the castle. 'Home-cooked food. Nothing like it.'

It was late evening and dusk had fallen. The wind had died down and the sea had calmed. Waves made shushing sounds and gurgled among the stones on the shore. The salt tang of the ocean had mellowed, and the air smelt soft and clean. As Rose and Ten walked along the road to the castle, they could see the faint shimmer of a path of light over the water as the newly waxing moon set over the far shore. Soft oranges and pinks glowed on the horizon and to the south they could see the bulky silhouette of Bamburgh Castle against the sky. On the island, closer to them and more to the left, the smaller castle of Lindisfarne perched on its rocky hill.

'Now that's positively atmospheric,' breathed Ten. He took Rose's hand. 'We're going to see some grand sunsets from there.'

'Yeah.' She squeezed his hand. 'Nothing in the way like in London.' She grinned up at him. 'Let's go up to the top every night and watch.'

'Linear time,' he mused. 'Our lives bounded by tides and sunsets.' He shook himself a bit like a dog after a swim. 'Well, better than alarm clocks, buses and angry bosses, I suppose.'

'Much better!' She swung their linked hands back and forth. 'I used to live with alarms, buses and bosses, remember? This is so much better.'

'Not much shopping, though,' he reminded her. 'You won't like that.'

She shrugged. 'Don't really miss it. Not any more.'

He nodded and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He stopped short, pulling on her hand.

'Wha-?'

Letting go of her and bringing his arm near her face, he pointed at the castle. 'Look at the top.'

'There's something up there,' she exclaimed. 'Something's moving!'

'There is! Ghosts or monsters... or teenagers hoping to get lucky-which one?' He took her hand again. 'Come on!'

He pelted down the road, Rose soon breathless but right beside him.

The shape by the parapets stopped still and then melted into the shadows.

_To be continued_


	2. Things that Go Bump in the Night

**Author's Notes:** Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

**Disclaimer:** This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**_ Things that Go Bump in the Night_

* * *

When they finally reached the last oak door at the top, Ten unbolted it slowly and cautiously pushed it open a crack. He peered around for a moment into the dark and then opened it more fully and edged out into the open air. Rose followed quietly behind.

They crept around the battlements, but there was no sign of the shadowy figure. Ten walked out into the middle, took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned, turning around a full 360 degrees.

'Anything?' Rose asked as he perused the results.

'Not much,' he confirmed, 'but there is a trace of energy. Something was here.'

'What'd give off that kind of energy?' she wondered.

'A few things,' he answered. 'One being a transmat beam which, given our guest has already left, is the most likely.' He pocketed the screwdriver and, stepping further away from Rose, held out his hands away from his body. He closed his eyes.

'What are you doing?' Rose tilted her head quizzically.

He didn't answer her for a moment, so she watched him as he slowly reached out all around him. He was a silhouette against the fading light on the horizon, a tall, thin shadow with the long drape of his coat and spiky tufts of hair jutting out over his forehead. His arms reached out to either side of him, long fingers outspread. He mumbled something and took a few steps forward, still with his eyes closed. He then stepped to the side, still reaching out with his hands as if feeling for something.

Then he stopped still. 'Right here,' he murmured. 'Yes.'

'What is it?' she asked softly.

He opened his eyes and brought his arms down. 'A disturbance of time,' he said so matter-of-factly and clearly that Rose almost jumped after the hushed mood of a moment ago. 'Something came here through time. Funny, though, it doesn't feel connected to the energy residue the screwdriver detected.'

'So whatever it was we saw is a time traveller,' she said.

'Yes,' he answered with a frown. 'But who? A transmat beam I can understand. But a time traveller? Travelling freely with no portal here? Who would that be? The only races who can do that are the Time Lords and the Daleks. We...ell, the Transcendental Beings, but they wouldn't. Well, and time agents, but they rarely come to this century, except for Jack-and it won't be him. And John, but it won't be him either.' He paced a little, frowning. 'It feels familiar somehow. Not sure why...'

'Reapers?' she asked with trepidation.

'No,' he said. 'If it were one of them, it would still be here with its friends, and we'd be in a lot of trouble. Besides, we haven't created any paradox.' He grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet. 'The mystery deepens!'

'Right.' She suddenly yawned. 'Now that nothing's happening, I'm tired. I don't know about you, but sleep is looking awfully good right now. It's been a long day.'

He nodded as he took one last glance around the roof.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Silently, they made their way back into the castle, carefully bolting the door behind them. Once they made their way down to the main level, Ten checked all the rooms and the doors, while Rose went back to their private quarters.

Some time passed before he returned.

'All locked up,' he announced cheerfully, as he came down the hall. He entered the bedroom. 'I don't think... Oh!'

The large bed had already been made up, and Rose was already lying in it, blankets pulled up to her chin and eyes closed.

'Ah,' said Ten, softly. 'Right then.' He nodded slowly and quietly took off his coat and jacket. He went across to the living room and threw them across the back of the sofa and returned to the bedroom. Rose hadn't moved. He turned to the single bed and picked up the wrapped bedding, turning it around in his hands looking for an easy spot to tear open the plastic.

A soft giggle sounded behind him.

He turned around. Rose, looking very much awake, was watching him, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

'What?' he said with an injured air. 'This plastic wrapping is tough.'

'I'm sure it is,' she said. 'You're the picture of concentration. But you missed something.'

'What?'

'Look at the foot of the bed.'

He did so. 'Oh!' he exclaimed. Two large rucksacks lay there. One had been opened and at the top lay clothing, clearly Rose's. He opened the other, and the first thing he saw on top was his own blue suit.

'These weren't here before,' he said. He laid his hand flat on the clothing and nodded. 'Eleven.'

'He must've returned while we were in the village,' said Rose. 'D'you think he was the one on top of the roof?'

'No,' he said. 'The energy was different from the Tardis, and the time disturbance... didn't feel right. In fact, the Tardis doesn't leave that kind of trace. Doesn't stick out so much.'

'Oh,' she said. 'So, we had two visitors. The shadow and Eleven. I wish we hadn't missed him.'

'I think he planned it that way,' he murmured. He stayed for a moment, kneeling.

'Yeah.' Rose nodded. But when Ten took something out of the rucksack, stood up and moved back to the single bed, she giggled again. 'No pyjamas?'

He looked at her quizzically and looked down at the hospital top and bottoms that he was holding. 'No...' he ventured. 'This was all I had on me when we returned to this universe.'

'We are getting you proper pyjamas tomorrow,' she said firmly.

He nodded vaguely, left the room and returned shortly, clad in the blue cotton material. The corridor behind him was dark. He picked up the bedding once more.

'Doctor,' whispered Rose.

He turned around to see her shaking her head at him fondly. She raised the edge of her blankets and he could see that she was wearing his favourite nightshirt on her-light blue with a cartoonish picture of a zepplin moored to Big Ben.

'Get in here,' she ordered.

'Ah!' he murmured happily. 'Yes, boss.' He flicked off the switch by the door and the room was plunged into blackness. Rose could hear him cautiously making his way to the bed. At some point, he must have stubbed a toe, because she heard a sudden intake of breath and then muttering. Finally he reached the bed and climbed in.

'I can't see a thing,' she whispered.

'No windows,' he whispered back. 'Castles aren't usually well-illuminated.' He rolled onto his side and came up against the soft form of Rose. She made a small, contented sound and squirmed about until her back was against his front. She then reached back behind her until she found his arm and she pulled it over. Ten smiled to himself and snugged her to him. 'I'll protect you against any creatures that go bump in the night,' he murmured in her ear. 'At least, if I don't trip over them first.'

'Good,' was her sleepy response.

He softly stroked her hair until her breathing evened out and, then, laying his arm back around her, held her close through the night.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The car sped along the causeway. George was a fast driver, and Betty an equally quick talker. Rose sat in the back seat along with the parcels and bags from the day's shopping and looked out of the window. She could see the water's edge approaching the narrow strip of land that connected Lindisfarne to the mainland.

On their way across the causeway in the morning, she had seen the occasional pile of mud and seaweed left behind by the retreating waters. She didn't see them now, but she knew that soon after the car passed, the water wouldn't take long to cover the roadway again and sweep new seaweed over the tarmac.

'Rose,' said Betty suddenly, and Rose jumped, brought out of her reverie. There was silence in the car.

'Er... what?' she asked.

'What's the Doctor's real name?' Betty asked, looking over her shoulder. 'I'd like to call him by something proper, poor soul. Nicknames are all very well, but I'm sure he'd feel more welcome if he heard his own name.'

'That's it,' said Rose. 'The Doctor. That's all he ever goes by.'

'But there's got to be something else, hasn't there,' objected Betty reasonably. 'After all, even Dr Smith likes being called by his first name amongst us old-timers.'

'Uh,' stammered Rose. 'Well, he does have a legal name. Sort of. But it's Smith too.'

'Oh my,' gasped Betty. 'How confusing! Oh dear. Two Doctor Smiths. Well... What about his first name? Our village doctor is Harold.'

'It's John,' said Rose reluctantly. 'But, honestly, it's just better to call him the Doctor. It wouldn't feel right answering to anything else. To him... or to me,' she added.

'Well, all right, lovey,' said Betty with an unhappy sigh. 'If you insist.' She shook her head. 'Dear, dear, dear.'

George took a quick glance over his shoulder. 'We're almost to the village. I can drop you off at the castle if you'd like. You have all that food and whatnot to carry in.'

Rose nodded. 'That would be great. Thanks!'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

In the end, George and Betty helped Rose bring all the packages into the castle. Ten was nowhere to be seen.

'Nice set-up you have here,' said George as he looked around. 'Never had the chance to see inside the custodian's quarters before.'

'I like it,' said Rose. 'Only thing is, I could do with an indoor loo.'

Betty laughed. 'Ah, we all had to do without when I was young. Brings back memories, that does! Now, Mr Doctor himself isn't here. Would you like a lift back into the village to see if you can find him?'

'Yes, please.' Rose shut the refrigerator door and turned off the light.

'Have you met the volunteers yet?' asked Betty. 'They'll have already left by now.'

'Who?' Puzzled, Rose followed Betty and Arthur back out to the car, locking the door behind her.

'The folk who look after the castle while it's open,' said Arthur. 'You do know that it's National Trust, don't you? Opening times are usually ten to three or when the tides allow.'

'Oh!'

'They are the ones who do the day-to-day dusting and vacuuming of the place and guiding visitors,' added Betty. 'You and Mr Doctor look after everything else: security, fixing anything broken, unless it's historical, that is, and then you call in the experts. Best to stay out of the way when the visitors come, and don't let them use the bathroom. That's for you and the volunteers only-except in case of emergencies... Best not to keep your personal things in there. Bring them out with you when you need them. I used to volunteer here before my back got too stiff to push the hoover around.'

'Right,' said Rose. She thought uneasily of the knickers she left hanging over the shower rail and hoped that the volunteers only used the toilet.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Betty and George took Rose back into the village and, at her request, let her off near St Mary's church which, George explained, was the closest they could get to the priory by car. Rose's guess that Ten would gravitate to this spot earned another smile of approval from Betty.

'Wasting no time in seeing the heart of the island. Bless. Service on Sunday is at 10:45, and evensong, if you want to attend, is at 5:30 every night. You don't sing, by any chance?'

'N-no,' Rose stammered. She took a nervous step back from the car.

'That's all right, dear,' Betty said, through the window. 'We could use some new blood in the choir... so-to-speak.'

Rose watched the car drive away with a sinking feeling, took a deep breath, turned and edged past a building. She skirted around the church and headed down a path amongst the tombstones to the priory. But before she crossed half the distance, a young man bustled up to her.

'Welcome,' he said. 'Have you checked in at the visitor's entrance and purchased your pass to the priory?'

'Uh... no. Sorry!' She guiltily checked her pockets for change. 'Where's that, then?'

'Right over there.' He pointed.

'Right,' she said. 'Um... I don't suppose you've seen the Doctor come through here?'

The man's face cleared. 'The Doctor? Yes, he did. Are you with him?'

'Yeah.'

'I didn't realize... That's all right then. I think he's still there. Just keep the way you're going.'

With that, the man disappeared as quickly as he came, and Rose crossed the rest of the distance. Upon entering the ruins, she caught sight of Ten immediately. Hands in pockets, he was strolling about, peering up at the tops of the broken stone walls.

She marched up to him. As he turned around, a smile beginning at the sight of her, she demanded, 'What is it with you?'

He pointed to himself with a look of bafflement. 'With... with me?'

'Oh, never mind,' she said and she slapped his chest in fond exasperation. 'Anything interesting? Anything ghostly?'

'Not a thing.' He looked at her uncertainly and then shrugged. 'But according to all the tales, these things come out around dusk.'

'Then we'll come back then,' said Rose decisively.

Ten grinned at her, his momentary consternation forgotten. 'Yep! Come on! I want to show you...' He took her hand and pulled her towards the most intact part of the ruins in the northeast corner. He stopped her and pointed up. 'The Rainbow Arch. Stronger than the roof that was above it. Keeps on going. That's arches for you. Though I don't understand why they call it the Rainbow Arch. I mean, no colours. No prisms. An odd name, if you ask me. Now, I have seen arches you could actually call rainbow. Made out of crystal, acting like prisms in the sunlight. Refraction and reflection. No water droplets like a real rainbow, but pretty close. Verikarikoskal, very cold planet, had many of them. Ice actually, left from an ice age not unlike your own-'

'It's the shape,' said Rose, staring at it. 'I like it.'

'Oh,' he said. 'The shape. Right. Mind you, the "rainbow" bit is still misleading. The opacity of the stone simply doesn't imply any refraction.'

'Um... opacity?'

He looked at her quizzically for a brief moment and then smiled. 'It doesn't allow light through,' he said.

'Right,' she mumbled.

He took her hand. 'Come here.'

He led her to a corner where one low, broken-down wall met a still-tall upstanding facade. Clumps of delicate flowers, blue and yellow, grew in defiant profusion out of cracks and crannies in the surface of the crumbled stone.

'Look at the stone.' He placed her hand gently on the wall.

Her fingers rested in pits and whorls. 'It's all different,' she marvelled. 'It's gone all funny.' The ancient, tightly-fitted stones each showed wildly different textures. Some of the warm, reddish surfaces were deeply dimpled, while others had deep striations that covered the rock face in odd patterns. In yet others, deep grooves carved the stones, leaving sharp ridges and valleys.

'Eroded,' he said, bouncing on his toes. 'Pitted, rippled, corrugated... It's the wind. Over half a millennium, winds funneled down from the north. Particles abrade the surface of the stones and leave these patterns. Artwork from the wind!'

'They feel warm,' she said. She tilted her head upward and closed her eyes. The sun beat warm on her face and on her hand still resting on the wall. She stayed like that for a few moments and then realized that Ten was no longer speaking. Her first thought was that he had wandered off to inspect some other curiosity. Cautiously, she cracked open one eyelid only to find him right in front of her, watching her with some unfathomable expression on his face. But before she could say anything, he took her hand.

'Right! Nothing else we can do here now. Sunset should be around 9:40 tonight, so we have a few hours. I want to show you something I found at the shop.'

A short walk later, they stood in the shop before a shelf of chocolate bars.

'What is it?' asked Rose.

Ten reached out and picked up a bar. 'Wispa,' he said triumphantly. 'Brilliant. Chocolate filled with tiny bubbles.'

She shrugged. 'So is Aero.'

His eyes grew round. 'Really?' He snatched an Aero bar off the shelf and almost ran up to the counter. Triumphantly, he pulled out a 20 pound note as Rose joined him.

'More?' asked the man behind the counter.

'Bubbles!' Ten said, grinning. 'Bubbles in chocolate. Brilliant!'

'Wait,' said Rose. 'Tell me that you ate lunch.'

'Of course I did,' he said.

'A proper lunch. Not just chocolate,' she pressed.

'Er...'

The man shook his head and handed over the change. 'I don't think he'd have room after he gobbled down those bars a few hours ago...'

'Doctor,' Rose hissed.

'I've seen you eat nothing but chips,' Ten said, somewhat petulantly. 'How is chocolate any different?'

'Another thing,' said the man. 'Use coins, would you? This is the fourth time today you've used 20 pound notes for something under a quid. I'm running out of silver.'

Rose raised her eyebrows. Ten shrugged sheepishly. 'It's easier,' he said. 'Never had to fuss with change on Pete's world. All electronic transfer. Besides, give over a piece of paper and you get a handful of round, heavy metal things. They feel like money. Why, on Quankos-'

She pushed him out of the store. 'I'll train him,' she called back over her shoulder. Outside, she snatched the chocolate bars out of his hand and, despite his protests, stuffed them in her jacket pocket. 'You're not having any more of those until you've had a proper dinner.'

'Hey!'

She sat him down on a bench. 'Empty out your pockets,' she commanded.

He goggled at her. 'Here?'

'Here. Never mind the gizmos you probably have in there. Just the loose change. All of it.'

He obeyed, muttering. Rose held her cupped hands in front of him. Soon they were filled almost to overflowing with coins, the occasional crumpled fiver pinned amongst them.

'Doctor...' she said in disbelief. 'How much shrapnel do you have?'

He shrugged again. 'They're all different. How many pound coin designs do you have, anyway?'

'Don't matter,' said Rose as she quickly counted the money into her lap, pulling out the notes and handing them back to him. She finally leaned back in disbelief. 'You have almost 50 quid here. Just in change!'

'The cash machine only gave out twenties,' he said, with an injured tone.

Rose shook her head and counted out thirty pounds in coins. 'Once you've broken the first 20, use smaller notes or coins for smaller stuff. All right?'

'Yes, ma'am,' he said meekly.

Rose handed back the remainder of the change to him and headed back inside the shop. The man grinned when she handed over the change.

'Good thing he has you to keep him in hand. He's a funny one, that bloke.'

'Yeah. You could say that.' She laughed. 'Let me know if he does that again... or buys any more chocolate.'

'No worries,' he said, grinning, and gave her three 10 pound notes.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

They returned to the village not long after sunset, having eaten what Rose thought passed for a proper dinner-sausages and potatoes. But as they neared the priory, they heard shouting.

'Something's up!' Ten broke into a run.

A handful of villagers were on the priory grounds, among them Arthur and George.

'What's that shimmer?' gasped Rose when she caught up to Ten. He had stopped at the gate, peering at something that hovered beyond the villagers and amongst the walls.

'I don't know,' he breathed as he swung his long legs over the gate and dropped to the grass on the other side. Rose clambered over.

As they approached the entrance to the ruins, however, the shimmering cloud seemed to collect itself and darted towards the villagers who had clustered at the entrance to the ruins. For a moment, Rose couldn't see anything as the group of villagers blocked her view. But then, a woman closer to the cloud was enveloped first and she flailed wildly. The cloud billowed around her, scattered slightly and then concentrated itself again. The woman writhed.

'Get them off me!' she screamed as she fell.

Ten dashed towards her, pulling off his coat.

_To be continued_


	3. Sensitive to Time

**Author's Notes:** Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

**Disclaimer:** This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 3:** _Sensitive to Time_

* * *

As the woman writhed on the ground, Ten pelted over the grass. For one brief moment as he ran towards them, it seemed to Rose as if the shimmering cloud of... beings began to flow over the woman and move towards him, but he swung the coat through the cloud and, suddenly, the shimmer disappeared.

In the quiet that followed, the woman's sobs could clearly be heard. Ten knelt beside her.

'You're all right,' he murmured. 'What's your name?' Surreptitiously, from his side away from the rest of the villagers, Rose could see him briefly bring the sonic screwdriver out and give a quick scan. But at the sound of the whirr, the woman looked up fearfully.

'Are they coming back?' she whimpered.

He dropped the screwdriver back into his pocket. 'No,' he said firmly. 'Up you get!' He and another villager lifted her to her feet.

As the other villagers clustered around the woman, murmuring comfortingly and dusting her off, Ten paced around the ruins. As he walked back, the villagers watched him approach.

'Can you tell me what you saw?' he asked.

'Things!' said the woman. 'I'm Mabel.'

'Hello, Mabel,' he answered cheerfully. He cocked his head to one side. 'Could you be more specific?'

'Small jiggling things in a cloud,' she whimpered tearfully. 'They just appeared out of nowhere. Lit up like... like...'

'They shimmered,' said a man.

'Yeah. I saw that,' said Ten. He focused on Mabel again. 'What happened when they covered you?'

'They were pushing and nudging me,' she cried. 'It was horrible.'

The man who spoke before continued. 'When you came, I think they were going to attack you too. I suppose you scared them off.' He held out his hand to Ten. 'You must be the Doctor. I'm Doctor Smith.'

'Oh! Hello!' Ten said enthusiastically, shaking the man's hand vigorously. 'I've heard about you.'

'And I you,' the village doctor answered. 'In fact, I've been briefed on you by your superiors.'

'Sorry?' Ten peered at him, baffled.

'Superiors?' This was from Arthur who separated from the knot of villagers. 'I knew there was something more going on. That military jeep was there for a reason, wasn't it.'

'You're from the army?' asked Mabel tearfully. She stepped away from Ten.

He held up his hands. 'No, no, no. I'm not from anyone's army.'

'Me neither,' said Rose, but no-one listened to her, although George gave her a quick glance.

'We don't want the army on Holy Island,' protested another woman whom Rose did not recognize. The woman crossed her arms and scowled.

'No, we don't,' said Arthur. 'If that's what you're all about, we can do well enough on our own.'

The villagers now stood close to one another, but apart from Ten and Rose. It seemed to her as if there had been a line drawn between them. All except for Doctor Smith who stood uncertainly to one side.

'I don't doubt it,' said Ten. 'I-'

'Where's your gun, if you're a soldier?' shouted the unknown woman. 'No guns on the island!'

He made a strangled sound. 'I never use-'

'Are you going to investigate?' sniffled Mabel. 'Find out what these awful things are? They attacked me!'

He stopped and nodded slowly. 'Yes. I can do that.'

The villagers silently watched him.

'Now, listen to me,' he said, holding his hands up and turning to each person as he spoke. 'I am not in the army. Yes, they brought me here, but I'm not a soldier. I'm... I'm...'

'A consultant,' interjected Rose.

He looked at her and nodded gratefully. He turned back to the villagers. 'I promise you. I can investigate, and I can find out what these beings are, if you trust me. Will you help me?'

Doctor Smith nodded. 'It would be a relief to know what these things are.'

Arthur looked unhappy. 'They should have told us-in fact, you should have-from the beginning.'

'Yes,' said the woman with her arms crossed. 'We don't like people meddling in our affairs.'

'Right, then,' said George. 'Everyone-obviously we need a meeting tomorrow morning to decide if we'll allow them to continue. Until then, Doctor, you do your sleuthing.'

Ten nodded gravely.

Slowly, the villagers walked out of the priory grounds, all except for Doctor Smith.

'If you're allowed to stay on the island,' he said a little glumly, '-and I'm terribly sorry about all that-I'd like you to come by my office. I don't run a full practice. I'm retired...in a manner of speaking. But I'm the local first aid for any emergencies, and apparently you're full of peculiarities that I'd love to... er...need to confirm with you.'

With that, he also left, leaving Rose and Ten alone amongst the dark ruins.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Rose was the first one to break the silence.

'That didn't exactly go as we planned.'

'Did we have a plan,' asked Ten mildly. He looked up at the sky. Stars were beginning to appear in the deepening blue. 'Ah... there's the summer triangle.' He pointed out the three bright stars that formed a large, right-angled triangle. 'Deneb, Viga and Altair. Mind you, the names are completely different where they are.'

'Doctor,' she said softly. 'What if they make us leave?'

He shrugged. 'That'll depend on UNIT. It'd be easier if we had the villagers' cooperation. But we're going to solve this, Rose. There's something about these beings... I can't put my finger on it, but... I feel as if I should know something... As if I knew once, long ago.'

'You think you've seen them before?' she asked hopefully.

'Nooo...' he murmured. 'But something about them feels familiar. Why, I don't know. They didn't seem terribly intelligent. At least, they seemed to operate more on instinct than anything else. But they are on the hunt.'

'Hunt?' Rose shivered.

Ten looked at her. 'I'm sorry. Bad choice of words. Searching.' He stretched out his arms again, much like he did on top of the castle, and felt about him. 'They definitely travel through time though.'

'How do you know?' She cocked her head. 'I mean, how does it feel different from us? We all travel... er, with time, yeah?'

'Yes,' he answered. 'We do. So does the priory. It has been here so long that it feels so strong. Solid. Same as the castle. We don't because we only arrived here a few moments ago. But our presence here simply joined with the priory's timeline without having altered our own path and now we travel through time right here, together with the ruins. But whatever came here didn't simply blend streams, it interrupted its own stream and created a... a... wake, or an eddy in time at this very spot as it appeared and disappeared.' He lowered his arms then. 'It's starting to fade now. The priory's timeline is reestablishing itself, smoothing out the intrusion.'

'But you can still feel it,' said Rose. She moved beside him and stretched out her own arms. She felt nothing but the gentle frisson of a soft wind against her skin.

'Yeah. Funny. They must have come to the castle. The temporal echo feels the same. Clearly they gravitate towards ancient structures. Sensitive to time.'

She regarded Ten thoughtfully. 'You never used to do this... this... feeling about with your arms before. What's with that?'

He looked at her in surprise. 'You're right. Didn't think about that.' He pondered, gazing into the distance. 'Time feels... sharper, clearer now. More than I ever remembered. I never used to be able to pinpoint a disturbance in the time streams as I can now. Before, I could tell there had been a disturbance, but... but only vaguely. I'd need to use the Tardis or cobble together a detector to get more information. Now? I can feel it, just know more, instinctively.' He smiled softly. 'A gift from the Tardis, I think. Making me look into the Time Vortex... That's done all sorts of things to me. A consolation prize, maybe, for not being able to regenerate.'

He shook himself as if he were a dog coming out from a swim and smiled down at her. 'At any rate, nothing more we can do here. I doubt the beings will return now.'

'They need names,' she decided.

'Names?' he echoed. 'Sorry?'

'The beings,' she said firmly. 'We need to call them something.'

'I suppose.' He stuffed his hands in his pockets and ambled towards the road.

Walking at his side, she thought hard. They turned right, made their way through the village and reached the road that stretched west along the shore towards the castle. The gentle baaing of sheep mixed with the occasional bleat of a lamb came to them through the calm air.

'I know,' she declared at last. 'N-A-T-S.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'What?'

'N-A-T-S,' she repeated triumphantly. 'Non-aware Alien Time... Sensitive...s.'

'Sensitives?' he echoed.

'Yes,' she said firmly. 'It fits, see? N-A-T-S.'

'Ah.' He nodded slowly, still a quizzical look on his face.

'Like the little bugs,' she continued. 'They fly around in a swarm, just jiggling around. Nats.'

'Gnats?' he asked. 'Ah!' His eyebrows came back down. 'Uh, Rose, er, "gnats" is spelt with a... with a "g". G-N-A-T-S.'

'Don't matter,' she said, somewhat nettled. 'I don't hear a 'g'.'

'True,' he conceded. 'NATS it is. Although,' and here he ran a hand through his hair, 'they make me think of June bugs.'

'June bugs?' she echoed.

'Big, blundering bugs,' he said. 'They bang into everything, people too. They swarm around lights. On all sorts of planets-on Earth too, brought here by a careless starliner actually. Bit like rats jumping ships in harbours. Not in the U.K. though, come to think of it.'

'Ugh.' She shuddered. 'Glad of that. So we have illegal alien bugs on Earth?'

'Yep,' he answered. 'Harmless, though, and they fit into the ecosystem well enough.'

'Right...' she said dubiously.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

They walked the rest of the way in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. But when the castle had been locked up, and both had changed, ready for bed, Ten sat beside Rose.

'I love your hair,' he said and ran his fingers through it, tucking loose strands behind her ear.

She blinked at him. 'That's rather sudden.'

He stared back at her. 'No, it isn't. I've thought it for a long time.'

'You've never said anything.'

'It's silky. It catches the sunlight.' He ran his fingers through it again. 'Soft.'

Rose crawled over to her side of the bed and under the blankets. She turned on her side, facing him. 'As soft as hair in the rest of the universe?'

'Softer,' said Ten solemnly. 'There are many wonders out there in the universe, but humans can have the softest hair.'

He slipped under the covers and lay on his back. She wriggled to his side and as he reached an arm under her neck, she laid her head on his shoulder. He curled his arm around her and held her close. 'My silky Rose,' he whispered, and with his free hand, he caressed her cheek and stroked her hair.

'Mmm,' she murmured. 'That feels nice.'

'Does it?' he asked, propping himself up on one elbow. He continued to stroke her hair.

'Mm-hm,' she said. She smiled suddenly, poking just the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth.

'Oh, I see!' he said. 'Do I take it that-' But at that moment, he turned his head quickly as if listening for a sound.

'What?' she asked, curious. She had not heard anything.

And then Ten was out of the bed like a shot and running across the room. Rose heard a thump and a muffled curse in Gallifreyan, before the light was turned on and the door wrenched open. Next thing she knew, the slapping of bare footfalls receeded down the hall.

She followed him, pausing only to step into her still-tied running shoes and to grab a jacket.

By the time she caught up with him, he was outside and partway down the sloping path as it passed the west end of the castle walls and the rocky hill it sat on. He stood there looking around him, turning around as if searching.

'What is it?' she asked, intrigued. She looked around too but there was nothing to be seen.

'They were here,' he murmured.

'The NATS?' she came up beside him. 'Did you see them?'

He shook his head.

'Did you feel a time disturbance?'

He nodded.

'But... they're gone now, yeah?'

He nodded again and then shivered.

'Come on, silly. You've nothing on but those hospital things. Let's go back inside.'

'Yeah,' he said absently and he obediently followed her back to their room.

But as they lay in bed, Rose once more curled up against Ten with his arm around her, she knew his thoughts were far away. She burrowed her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. The last thing she felt as sleep gradually overtook her was the press of a kiss to her forehead and Ten's breath in her hair as he murmured words in Gallifreyan. The soft consonants and pure vowels flowed over her and lulled her to sleep.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

'I feel as if I'm waiting outside the headmaster's office,' Rose said glumly. She swung her legs back and forth.

She and Ten were sitting on a wooden bench outside a pub at the centre of the village. A clamour of voices could be heard from inside, though no distinct words could be heard. It was a bright, sunny morning, and the streets were deserted. The tide was still in, so there were no tourists from the mainland, and overnight visitors were either enjoying late breakfasts or were already at their landmark of choice. The only other sound that could be heard was the chorus of birdsong from the hedges and trees.

He nodded. 'Which will win, I wonder? Annoyance at meddling, or fear of the temporal beings.'

'NATS,' she corrected.

'Right. NATS,' he said amiably. Idly, he plucked at the jeans he was wearing and grimaced in distaste.

'What's wrong,' she asked. 'Don't they fit? They should. I took one of your suits with me when I went shopping yesterday. They measured all the seams.'

'They do fit...' he said and looked at her out of the corners of his eyes.

'Out with it,' she ordered.

'We-ell,' he hedged. 'I just like my own clothes. Pinstripes. Comfortable, bendy cloth. These... these... "jeans" are just too stiff!'

'That's all right,' she soothed. 'They'll soften over time. 'Sides, you like the jumper, don't you? You always used to.'

'Used to,' he said. 'Been there, done that, as they say. Don't need to do it any more.'

She straightened, gathering herself in mild disapproval. 'Well, you can't wear suits for the rest of your life.'

He tilted his head quizzically. 'Why not?' He shrugged. 'Pockets will be a problem. Can't just make more bigger-on-the-inside pockets without the Tardis. Mind you, could always rip them out when the jackets wear out. Sew them into the new ones...'

He reached an arm around Rose's shoulders and she leaned into his embrace. They stayed like that for the rest of the villagers' meeting.

Finally, after about an hour, people began to come out of the hall. Arthur, George, Dr. Smith and another man Rose didn't recognize stood in front of Ten and Rose while the crowd of about 30 people ranged behind them. Betty pushed through and stood beside George.

Dr. Smith cleared his throat. 'This is the vicar, Reverend Milne. I don't believe you've met him before.'

Ten leaned forward and enthusiastically pumped the hand of the man Rose hadn't recognized. 'Hullo, Vicar! Good to meet you.'

'Hi... er, hello,' said Rose, feeling a little self-conscious in her jeans and messy hair.

Milne smiled at her and shook her hand gently. 'Pleased to meet you, both of you. I'm sorry this couldn't be in better circumstances, as I would liked to have welcomed you more freely to our parish.'

'Nevertheless, the vote came out with a narrow margin. We can't officially demand you leave, and there are many who want you to stay and investigate, but there are those who feel that the army, and you, have been disrespectful and invasive. Holy Island is a sacred community, and the army has no place here.'

'We are not part of the army,' said Ten firmly.

'We understand that,' Dr. Smith said. 'And it is my fault too, I think. I should have made sure that the villagers were consulted first. I'm awfully sorry. But the villagers have decided. If you wish to show respect for their feelings, you have 24 hours to vacate the island.'

Rose's shoulders slumped, but Ten stood up briskly. 'Well, then! Better get cracking, yes? Crackity-crack! If we only have 24 hours to learn about these NATS, then there's no time to waste.'

Taken aback, the villagers whispered among themselves.

'You're still willing to work today, even though you're being expelled?' asked Arthur. The crowd fell quiet.

'Yep!' said Ten. 'That's what we came for. Why give up now?'

'You're consistent, at least,' said Arthur, an unwilling note of admiration creeping into his voice.

'Actually,' continued Ten, 'why don't one of you come with us tonight. Yes, that's the ticket. If we are leaving, it would be better for one of you to find out more about these beings.'

The villagers looked at one another. Many took a step back.

'I would,' said Dr. Smith, 'but I'm not as spry as I used to be. Someone a little younger would be better in case you need any strength or agility.'

'I'll go,' said George. He crossed his arms and planted himself in front of Ten and Rose. 'You're right, Doctor. Someone should get as much information as possible. Then we villagers can take it from there.'

Ten smiled broadly. 'Right! Sundown at the castle? The priory and the castle seem to be the two places the NATS appear. Since they came to the priory last night and were scared off, the castle would be a better bet. Agreed?'

'Agreed,' said George.

'I'll watch at the priory,' said Arthur.

'Excellent!' enthused Ten. 'Best have someone with you. But don't approach them. Just observe. If they swarm around you, wave a jacket at them like I did yesterday. That seems to scare them off.'

'Right you are,' said Arthur. 'Er... NATS?'

'Non-aware Alien Time Sensitives,' said Rose.

'She named them,' said Ten, grinning.

Arthur blinked. 'Er, all right. Gnats is as good a word as any. They certainly hover like bugs.'

'See? He got it,' whispered Rose.

The crowd broke up then, many still casting suspicious glances towards Rose and Ten.

Dr. Smith lingered. 'I'd still like to see you in my office, if you didn't mind. I'm awfully keen on learning more about you.'

Ten hesitated. 'I don't go to doctors.'

Rose tugged on his arm. 'Come on,' she whispered in his ear. 'We need allies. Keep him on our side. You never know. The villagers probably respect him.'

He looked at her unhappily, and then faced Dr. Smith. 'We-e-ell, if you must.'

'Jolly good!' crowed Dr. Smith. 'Right this way. Only half a block.'

Glumly, Ten shuffled after him. Rose hooked her arm through his. 'Buck up,' she said, grinning. 'I'll make sure he doesn't chop you into little bits.'

'You'd better,' he mumbled.

_To be continued_


	4. Only Partly Human

**Author's Notes:** Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

**Disclaimer:** This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 4: **_Only Partly Human_

* * *

That evening, Rose began to pack their clothes.

'We never had a chance to wear much of this stuff,' she said. 'I shouldn't have bothered to go shopping. We're just going to have to lug all this out of here tomorrow.'

Ten shrugged. He picked up a hand mirror and turned it over, looking at it critically. 'Nice degree of magnification on this side,' he said. 'Why did you buy this? There's a perfectly good mirror in the loo.'

'That's outside,' she said patiently. 'I'm not going to go all the way out there if I just want to brush my hair.'

He shrugged again and looked at himself. He smoothed his hand over his own hair. Suddenly he stopped. 'Hang on.' He frowned and peered into the mirror. Then he flipped the mirror back to the convex side. He scowled.

'What is it?' She put down the sweater she was folding and moved to his side.

'What's this?' he muttered. He fingered a strand.

'That's a grey hair,' said Rose in disbelief. 'You have a grey hair.' She thought for a moment. 'Have you ever had grey hair?'

'A full head of it,' he answered, still staring at his reflection. 'Twice.' He fiddled a bit with the strand so that the single, offending hair lay between his finger and thumb. 'I didn't think I'd start having grey hair this time so soon though.' He gave a sharp tug and brought his hand down in front of his face.

'You pulled it out!' She stared at him. 'One itty, bitty hair and you pulled it out. Is that vanity?'

'Vanity?' he echoed, affronted. 'It didn't match, I'll have you know.'

'Of course.' Rose grinned and rolled her eyes. 'Gotta make sure you match!'

Ten grinned back, but then he turned away and dropped her mirror onto the bed. He snatched up two blankets. 'I'll be outside. Come out when you're ready.'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Rose found Ten sprawled on his back on a blanket on the grassy slope of the hill. The walls of the castle soared above him to his left. At his feet passed the path that climbed the hill to approach the castle. On the other side of the path wound a waist-high wooden fence that protected passers-by from a drop to the rocky shore below. Over the fence and across the water, the sun had set some time earlier on the north-west horizon, leaving a muted glow that blended into gradations of deepening blue.

'So, tell me again why we're here and not on the roof?' she asked. Out of breath, she flopped down on her stomach beside him and propped herself up on her folded arms.

'One, it's more sheltered here. Two, I thought right from the beginning that this would be a nice spot to stargaze. Any light pollution from Bamburgh or even Newcastle will be blocked by the castle. And, three, the NATS came here last night, remember? Right here. Handy, that. Right where I wanted to stargaze.'

'Right.'

'Yep,' he said. 'Only for a short time, though. I wonder if they usually pop in and out or if they linger.'

'So far,' Rose mused, 'we've only seen the NATS. No monsters Betty talked about.'

He shrugged. 'Could be hysteria. Reacting to the unknown. Villagers' exaggeration. Who knows? You humans love to embellish your stories.'

She pushed him playfully. 'You're human too. You insist on forgetting that. Must be very convenient!'

Ten sniffed. 'Still Gallifreyan by upbringing. And only part human.'

She laughed. 'That dignity thing doesn't work anymore, Doctor. Sorry.'

He let out an exaggerated sigh and worked an arm around her shoulders. She wriggled up against him and rested her head against his chest. A single heart rhythm beat gently in her ear. 'Ah, well,' he said. 'It was worth a try.'

The breeze from over the water ruffled Rose's hair and she shivered. With his other arm, Ten worked the spare blanket and then his coat over them both.

'Mmm,' she breathed. 'That's better. Helps you're not the ice block you used to be. Bit warmer, cuddlier.'

'M-hm,' he agreed. 'I like cuddly.' He paused. 'Did you know that gnats-the bugs, that is-come out around dusk in swarms and are called "ghosts"?'

She twisted her neck to look up at him. 'Really?'

'Usually,' he continued, 'they are males wanting to mate.'

She giggled. 'Wonder if the alien NATS just want to mate with helpless Earth females.'

Ten made a sound somewhere between a snort and a guffaw.

'What was that?' She raised her eyebrows. 'Should I, helpless Earth female, be worried?

He quirked an eyebrow. 'Would you like to be worried?' His voice was low and his breath tickled through her hair.

'Terribly!' she whispered. 'But... not here.' She paused. 'With our luck-George would arrive just at the wrong moment.'

'Hmm,' he said and pouted just a little. 'Good point. I'll stay a friendly gnat then. Safe. Not swarming. Pity. I'd rather like to swarm. Don't swarm enough, I've sometimes thought.'

Rose giggled and then, turning solemn, reached up and stroked his jawline. 'If you're a good gnat this evening, then maybe later tonight...'

She suddenly felt, beneath her ear, Ten's breath suddenly catch.

'Really?' he asked with a note of awe. 'You... you would-I mean-I... that's okay? You'd let me-'

'More than okay,' she said firmly, raising herself on one elbow.

He stared up at her, eyes wide and an indescribable expression on his face. He raised his arm and ran his fingers gently over her cheek, as if in wonder.

'Very okay,' she whispered and she bent her head downward and softly grazed her lips over his, warmth to warmth. But before he could respond, she laid her finger over his lips for just a second, and murmured, 'Later.'

He made a sound, somewhere between a muted whine and a growl, but, accepting her direction, he tightened his arm around her when she snuggled back down against his chest.

'Wonder if we'll see a ghost tonight,' he said after a bit.

'Dunno. Show me some stars.'

Ten laughed happily. 'All right.' He brought his left hand out from under the blanket and pointed to a very faint, almost imperceptible path of stars meandering across the sky. 'Not very bright, it'll get a little better later, but there's the-'

'Milky Way,' said Rose.

'A ha! Good! Then, tell me... what are those stars? I mentioned them yesterday.'

Rose pondered. 'Viga?'

'Vega. Good. The other two?'

'Denby?'

'A dinner plate? Not quite. Deneb.'

'Right. And... um...'

'Altair.' He pointed out each star in turn. 'Vega, Deneb and Altair. See how the Milky Way separates Vega and Altair? In Japan, they believe that those stars were two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, who were separated by the great river. Mind you, there's a similar story on almost every inhabited planet in this part of the galaxy. Not that that is that many planets,' he mused, 'given that to maintain the same perspective of those two exact stars being divided by that arm of the galaxy would mean that only a narrow corridor of stars and planets radiating outward from this section of the outer band with those two stars in similar positions could... Well, that's not strictly true. There are other locations in other parts of the galaxy with two bright stars that straddle...'

'Tell me the story,' interrupted Rose.

'Oh! Well, they could only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. Of course, I could never really understand why they just didn't build a boat to cross to the other side. Or if they had any sense of engineering, built a bridge. A simple suspension bridge would be easy. They could even swim, though I suppose if the river was fast or had rapids, that might be tricky. Of course-'

'Seventh day and month,' she said. 'July 7th. That was just last week, wasn't it?'

He nodded. 'Five days ago.'

'Five days,' mused Rose. 'We were on that moon by the sea with Eleven.'

'No, we weren't,' he objected. 'That was in the 55th century. We were ahead in time. Now we've returned.'

'You know what I mean,' she grumbled. 'Besides, Eleven said that he brought us forward a week to give Martha some time to get stuff ready for us. So, it's been a week. And we were on Earth-time before that, during your trial.'

'All right,' he said amiably. 'Last week, it was. Relatively speaking, of course.'

'Of course,' she whispered.

The sound of crunching gravel came to their ears, getting louder.

'Whoops,' said Ten and he sat up. The blanket fell away, leaving Rose to shiver from the sudden chill. 'We have company. Our stalwart villager, I believe.' He leaned back on his arms and regarded the approaching villager with mild curiosity.

Rose scrambled to her feet. George was indeed approaching, making his way up the sloped pathway, pausing once or twice to look over the waist-high, wooden railing to the drop down to the rocky shore below.

'Hm!' he said when he reached them. 'Been waiting long?'

'Not long,' she said. She tapped Ten's shoulder hard and he looked up at her with a puzzled expression. 'Get up, silly,' she murmured.

'Ah,' he said and he jumped to his feet. 'Good to see you. George, is it?'

'That's right,' George responded. He looked down at the blankets. 'Camped out, I see. Have the NATS appeared here?'

'Yep,' said Ten and he bounced on the balls of his feet. 'Right here. Last night. I'm hoping they might choose this spot again tonight. Has anyone actually seen them appear? As opposed to coming across them already there?'

'Last night, when you came.' George tilted his head. 'Though that's the first time they've attacked anyone.'

'I'm not sure that was an attack,' Ten murmured.

'What else would you call it?' George objected. 'They swarmed around her and pushed her to the ground. You can't call that friendly.'

'There was no harm done,' Ten said. 'Maybe they were curious.'

'No harm? She was terrified!'

Ten held up his hands. 'Right. Okay. Yes, she was terrified. But let's not jump to conclusions.' He took a few steps across the path and sat on the top rail of the fence. 'We don't know their intent.'

'Hm,' said George. He turned to gaze up at the castle walls behind them and picked his way around the blankets. He placed his hand on the rocky base. Rose followed him but then, for some reason she looked behind her.

'What's that?' she hissed. A small luminescence began to shimmer into being. Hovering over the path, it rapidly grew. Within the expanding cloud of light, a multitude of rapidly jiggling, glimmering points could clearly be seen. George turned around and froze.

'Wo-hoah!' crowed Ten in delight. He leaned forward, though he stayed on the wooden rail and made no sudden moves. 'We have visitors!' A big grin lit his features. His eyebrows were raised and eyes were wide. 'Oh, my beauties. Look at you!'

'Be careful,' snapped George. 'You don't know what it can do.'

'Maybe not,' Ten said, still staring raptly at the cloud, 'but they don't know about us either, I imagine!'

'Still,' said Rose, 'it doesn't hurt to-'

'Time,' he whispered. 'These are definitely time creatures. Absolutely! It's coming off them in waves. So strong... so beautiful. So brilli-'

But at that moment, the cloud seemed to gather itself and then, suddenly, shot towards Ten, surrounding him, buffeting him.

'Woah! Wait...' he yelped. He rocked backward.

'No!' cried Rose. She jumped down onto the path, but, before she rush to his defence, the portion of railing gave way under the sudden stress. With a tearing, cracking sound, it, Ten, and the cloud of NATS tumbled back and over the cliff, crashing down onto the rocks below.

'Doctor!' screamed Rose, and she ran to the edge of the cliff. Her heart felt as if it were hammering in her chest. Fearfully, she looked over as George joined her.

Ten lay on his back on the rocks, head toward the cliff, with limbs flung outward. The NATS still swarmed around him, covering every part of him. His body glowed from their light.

'Doctor,' sobbed Rose. Panic overwhelming her, she swung her legs over the edge.

'Don't be an idiot,' snapped George and he hauled her back up, his hands under her armpits. 'You'll fall too, and who knows what those things will do to you.'

Rose squirmed out of his grasp and looked around her. A hundred feet away from the castle, the path dropped closer to the shore. She began to run. Behind her, George gathered up the blankets and then followed her. She climbed over the fence and down the small grassy slope to the shore. She began to pick her way back towards Ten.

The boulders were difficult to climb over. Smaller rocks between them shifted under her weight and more than once she stumbled, nearly falling. Clumps of seaweed left behind by the tide slimed some of the surfaces and her feet slipped. Her breath rasped in her ears, and her hands shook so hard that she found it difficult to steady herself against the edges of the boulders.

'Hang on, Doctor. Hang on!' she whimpered.

She looked up and suddenly stopped. Bending over Ten's body was a dark shape. The NATS swirled in confusion around it. A dark limb reached out and touched Ten's face.

'Hey,' Rose screamed. She scrambled forward again. 'Hey!' The lack of breath didn't allow her to say anything more. She was half-way there. Another stone shifted and her foot dropped into the gap. She gasped and fought for a minute to free herself.

'Get away from him!' she yelled. Finally the foot was free. Furious and upset, she climbed onto the biggest boulder nearby and jumped to the next one. It rocked slightly, but fear propelled her forward and she jumped to another. The tops were dry and untouched by seaweed. She jumped again, faster and faster, uncaring of the rocks and sand shifting under the boulders.

The dark shape seemed to look up and register an angry Rose hurtling towards it. It straightened and touched something at waist-height. There was a brief flash of multicoloured light and both it and the NATS disappeared.

A few seconds later, Rose reached Ten. She dropped to his side. He was lying across a jumble of rocks, his back unnaturally arched from a small boulder underneath it. His left leg lay at an odd angle and there was a lot of blood soaking through the jeans. His head lay on a flattish rock, cushioned by a clump of seaweed.

'Doctor,' she cried urgently. She felt under his head with her fingers, though she knew not to move him. Her hand came away sticky with blood.

Ten groaned and his eyelids fluttered open.

'Don't move,' she warned.

He didn't move, but instead looked at her, panic in his eyes. 'I can't,' he whispered. 'I-I can't feel my legs.'

Trembling, Rose gently cupped his face in her hands. 'Just look at me, all right. Just look at me, okay?'

He swallowed and made as if to nod, but the movement was a mistake and he gasped.

'Don't move!' she snapped, and she began to gently press her hands over his body. She knew to leave the oddly-bent leg alone, but she cautiously felt over the other limbs.

He stared at her, his chest rising and falling jerkily with his panicked gulps of air.

'You have a broken leg,' Rose whispered. 'You must have a concussion-the back of your head is bleeding. Lots of cuts. And...'

'And...' he hissed. His teeth were clenched against the pain.

She took his right hand and held it hard. 'I think your back is broken. And you're lying across a rock...'

He closed his eyes tightly. 'Yeah. Think you're right.' His fingers curled around hers and gripped tightly.

At that moment, George arrived, puffing from the exertion.

'Bloody hell,' he said, looking at Ten. 'Here. Let's get you covered. Don't want you getting cold.' He took the blankets he had snatched before descending and he covered Ten, tucking the edges around his neck. 'We've got to get the doctor.'

'I'm not leaving him,' objected Rose. 'He can't be left alone.' She still clung to his hand.

'I'll go,' George assured her. 'My car is at the end of the path by the gate.' He turned and scrambled back the way he came. Rose watched him to make sure he safely traversed the rocks and then looked down at Ten. His breaths were gasps now, and his face was contorted by pain.

'I 'spose it's stupid to say "try to relax",' Rose whispered.

'Yeah,' he agreed. His fingers once again clenched around hers. 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't think I...'

'Don't you dare,' she hissed.

'No, no. I have to say it. It's not fair.' He inhaled sharply and gasped from the exertion. 'It's not fair to you. I'm such a bloody idiot.'

'Shhh,' murmured Rose and she stroked his cheek with her free hand. 'Keep your strength.'

'I can't,' he whispered. 'I don't think I... I'm too... I'd've started regenerating by now if...if I were still fully Time Lord.' He gasped again. His fingers twitched against hers and then went slack. Slowly, his eyes closed.

'Hang on, Doctor,' Rose snapped. 'Don't you dare give up. You hear me? You can do it.'

There was no answer.

'Doctor? Stay with me!' she cried. 'Don't go!'

A stray breeze picked up and tugged at Ten's fringe, brushing it over his forehead. But otherwise he was utterly still.

'Doctor,' she sobbed. She chafed his hand in hers. 'No... Please... Don't...'

Despairing, she looked wildly around her, but George was gone, the sound of his car already having faded. There was no mobile in her pocket, and there were no boats in the inlet. She was utterly alone. Tears came and she bent over Ten, her forehead just touching his chest. 'Don't leave me,' she whispered.

She fumbled at his neck, pressing with the tips of her fingers. It seemed to take forever to find it, but finally she did-a fast, weak pulse. A second later, however, she snatched her hand back and stared. Wisps of golden light drifted over Ten's face.

'Wha...?' Rose backed away. She looked down at his hands. They shimmered, as if gold flowed within and under his skin.

'But you can't,' she whimpered. 'He said!'

The golden light gathered in the dark and played about in wisps and curls. From and within the glow, Rose could see his face illuminated like some beautiful painting.

Rose held her breath, for, any moment now, that light must surely pour out of him in an explosion of energy.

Ten was regenerating.

_To be continued_


	5. Over the Cliff

**Author's Notes:** Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

**Disclaimer:** This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 5:**_ Over the Cliff_

* * *

Golden eddies of light wafted over Ten's face and hands, startlingly bright in the darkness of late evening.

'Oh, please!' sobbed Rose. 'Please regenerate. Don't die!'

But no streams of energy shot forth. Wisps simply curled calmly over him and then, gently, moved by the small breeze, began to drift up into the night.

'Doctor?' Rose bent over him, cupping her hand to his cheek. It felt warm. Then, with a start, she once again frantically pressed her fingers to his neck, pressing here and there to find his pulse. Finally her fingertips found the spot. A pulse beat steadily-a little fast, but normally. She moved her hand to his mouth and nose and there it was, the gentle stirring of regular breathing.

'Thank you, thank you,' she cried and promptly the tears came. She bowed her head over until it gently touched Ten's chest. She sobbed freely.

A touch to her hand brought her out of her outpouring of relief. She raised her head.

'Doctor?'

His eyes were open, looking back and forth at her and at his raised hand which still glowed slightly. The last of the energy faded and his hand returned to being a shadow against the dark blue of the night sky.

'I regenerated?' he whispered, his eyes wide. 'I ch...changed?'

'No, you didn't.' Rose took his hand between her own. It was cool, but not more so than his usual body temperature. 'Well, maybe, but... it sort of... stopped.'

'Stopped?' He shifted and immediately cried out.

'Don't move!' Alarmed, Rose put her hands on his shoulders. He was breathing erratically. 'We don't know what's changed and what hasn't.'

'Check,' he ground out between gritted teeth.

Hastily, Rose rolled back one side of the blankets. While Ten's back was still arched over the rock, the degree didn't seem as extreme. She covered that side again and reached across to uncover his left leg. It no longer lay at a peculiar angle. Carefully moving the stiff cloth of the jeans upward, she saw that blood still covered his calf and gashes marred his skin.

Tucking the blankets securely around him again, she moved up to his head. Gingerly, holding her breath, she inched her fingers up the back of his neck, through his hair and to where the curve of his skull met the layer of seaweed and rock. Bone felt solid, reassuring.

'I don't know... not really,' she said, 'but I think...I think you did regenerate... a little. You look better.'

He laughed then, a short, hoarse bark immediately followed by a sharp intake of breath. 'I wish I felt better. I... I can feel... everything now.' He gritted his teeth.

'George has gone to get Doctor Smith,' Rose soothed. She took up his hand again and he clutched at her fingers, nearly crushing them. 'I wish I could do something.' She looked around her, again to no avail. 'Do you have your sonic screwdriver with you? Can it do something for the pain?'

'You brilliant...! Pain, no, but scanning.'

She wormed an arm under the blankets and the v-neck of his jumper. His chest rose and fell jerkily under her forearm. Her fingers closed around the screwdriver which lay in the shirt pocket and she brought it out.

'Setting 3A,' he whispered.

The screwdriver whirred as Rose swept it up and down his body. After a moment, she brought it up and held it in front of his face. He peered at it and then sighed in relief.

'The bones've been fixed. Bruising though. Muscles too. Ohh, that's gonna hurt.' He gulped for air and spoke again. 'No other internal injuries. Tendons, ligaments also healed. Exterior a mess, but that just needs time.'

'But you're going to be okay?' she pressed.

'I think so.' He smiled wearily up at her.

She clasped his hand, screwdriver and all, and shut her eyes tightly. 'Thank you,' she whispered over and over, rocking back and forth. 'Thank you!'

She felt her hand being dragged downwards and then being touched to his lips. He kissed her clenched fingers. She opened her eyes.

'Keep the screwdriver for now,' he murmured.

Rose nodded and she slipped it into her pocket. 'I don't know how long George will be,' she said softly. 'Is there anything I can do? I hate to see you like this.'

'Just... move me off that rock. If you can.'

'I don't want to,' she whispered. 'What if...'

'My spine isn't broken now,' he reminded her. 'It'll hurt, but better than lying like this!'

Rose looked on either side of Ten. 'There's enough room on the sand to your right,' she said at last. She picked up a small rock and tossed it away from them. 'Not much, and it's damp, but it should do.' She pulled the blankets off him and laid them on the sand.

He made a motion as if to use his arms to lever himself upward but gave up immediately. 'I'm sorry. I'm... I can't help you. I need you to lift me. Make me sit up and then pull me over.'

Rose knelt on the sand and wound her arms around him, under his armpits. Her cheek rested against his, and she whispered in his ear. 'Ready? One, two, three, go.' She took a deep breath and pulled him upward.

His howl of pain nearly made her drop him, but she gritted her teeth. Even though he was slim, and she was only holding his upper body, he was heavy. With her left hand supporting his head, she inched backwards on her knees. He managed to take a little weight off her arms by leaning on his own behind him, but he couldn't do much. He panted in her ear, and she could feel his jaw clenched tightly.

She pulled and suddenly he slid sideways on his bottom to the edge of the rocks. The movement jolted him and he cried out again. 'Nearly there,' she gasped. Her arms felt as if they were going to break under the strain. She pulled again. He slid over the rocks and his bottom landed on the sand. He howled again. 'Down,' she whispered. It was all she had breath for. She laid him back down as gently as she could. She shifted his legs into alignment and then covered him as best she could with the edges of the blankets.

'Thank you,' he said, his panting having slowed enough to speak. 'Thank you.'

She slumped over the very rock Ten had just left. 'You're welcome.' She breathed deeply. 'Anything else?'

'Just kiss me,' he whispered. 'Please.'

She laughed through sudden tears. 'You silly goof.' But she obliged and, softly, caressingly, touched her lips to his.

'Thank you,' he murmured against her mouth. 'I'm so sorry. I think I've ruined the evening.' He turned his head a little to meet her a little more fully, but gasped as the muscles in his back and neck spasmed.

Rose withdrew. 'When are you going to learn not to move?'

'Sorry,' he said meekly.

Rose steadied his head firmly between her hands. 'Wait-you still see the Time Vortex, yeah?'

'Yeah.'

'I know how you can lose yourself in it. Do that again. Let it distract you. Maybe it'll help.'

'I'll try,' he whispered. 'Thank you.'

They fell silent then, Rose slowly stroking Ten's hair. He obediently didn't try to move any further, though his breathing was ragged from the pain. His eyes were open, but now they gazed as if to some far off place. Slowly his breathing evened.

They stayed like that for some time. All was still, and Rose shifted so that she could lean a little more comfortably against the boulder. She still stroked his hair, but her outstretched arm began to feel sore again. The breeze began to chill her.

Mercifully, the sound of a car soon came to them. The crunch of tyres against the gravel above the cliff sounded loud, and Rose looked up. The sound of doors opening and slamming came next and suddenly a powerful torch shone downward, dazzling her. She blinked against the sudden glare.

'There they are,' George shouted.

Another car came to a screeching halt. More voices came through a growing commotion. A rope suddenly fell, uncoiling its way down the slope and cliff. Soon after, a wiry young man, one whom Rose did not recognize, swiftly descended.

'Hi!' he said on reaching the bottom. 'How's he doing?'

'He's alive,' Rose said, 'but in a lot of pain.'

'The others are coming the slower way.'

Rose looked up and saw two figures making their way over the rocks.

'Ready,' the man shouted upwards. He turned to look at Rose. 'I'm Greg, by the way.'

A moment later, a narrow emergency stretcher was lowered down. The man caught the edges of the board, bringing it down to rest by Ten's side. Ten himself didn't seem to notice, his face still slack and eyes seeing nothing. Another rope was lowered, bringing down a nylon-wrapped package which Greg caught in turn.

George and Doctor Smith arrived a moment later, both puffing heavily. The doctor knelt and Rose moved away, giving him room. Greg knelt to the side unwrapping emergency equipment from the package.

'Doctor,' Smith said loudly. Ten did not respond. Smith shook Ten's shoulder a little and shouted. 'Doctor, can you hear me?'

'Don't!' said Rose urgently. 'He's-'

Ten came to with a start. His back arched as all the sensation rushed back in and he screamed. After the initial shock, the reaction subsided and he stared at the doctor, trembling.

'Bloody hell,' breathed George.

'Where does it hurt?' Smith asked urgently.

'Everywhere,' was Ten's succinct response.

'Anywhere in particular?'

'Back and head,' Ten whispered. 'Left leg.'

'All right,' said Smith. 'I'm going to check you for injuries. Do you understand?'

'Yeah,' Ten said. He closed his eyes.

Smith took out his stethoscope while Greg gently pulled edges of the blankets down. Smith immediately began to rapidly assess Ten. Drawing the blankets fully aside, he pressed his hands over Ten's body, much as Rose had done, only swifter and more confidently. Through all of this, George and Greg shone torches, illuminating Ten clearly. The powerful torch still shone down over the cliff. Clearly there were more people above on the path.

At last Smith covered Ten again with the blankets and sat back on his heels. 'I don't see any signs of spinal injury.'

'There has to be,' objected George. 'He was lying across a rock when I left him. Bent. He...he even said he couldn't feel anything.'

'There's no rock there now,' Smith pointed out reasonably.

'Uh, I, er, moved him,' said Rose.

Smith stared at her. 'That was dangerous.'

'He asked me to,' she objected. 'He can feel his legs now. Maybe he was in kind of a shock.' She could feel the screwdriver tucked in her pocket, and she touched it surreptitiously.

Smith pondered this for a moment and then suddenly swept the blankets away from his patient. Greg, as if taking this as some kind of cue, jumped up and began to arrange fresh, clean blankets over the stretcher.

'He may still be in shock,' said Smith. 'Which is why I think we should risk moving him as soon as possible and getting him off that wet sand. George, his upper legs. Greg, his trunk. Rose, can you help with his feet?'

Rose nodded and moved to her position as the doctor knelt as best he could amongst the rocks behind Ten's head.

Smith spoke. 'Doctor, listen to me. You others, also. All of you. All right. We're going to move you to the stretcher. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' whispered Ten.

'It's probably going to hurt. I'm sorry. But this is what's going to happen.' Smith looked at each of the others in turn. 'On my word, you are going to roll him towards you and hold him. Then, again on my word, you rise to your knees. Then we'll move him to the stretcher. But you wait each time for my signal. We do everything together. Understand?'

They nodded.

'Ready, go.'

They rolled him towards themselves. Rose made sure his feet stayed together. She wrapped her arms around his lower legs and, on Smith's next cue, she lifted them as she rose to her knees. She could hear Ten groaning. His head and shoulders were supported in Smith's arms.

'The stretcher!'

They all shuffled forwards and, at last, lowered him onto the blanket-covered board. As soon as Ten lay fully on the stretcher, Greg moved down to kneel at his feet and took off his shoes.

'Don't lose them,' protested Ten weakly, and Greg silently handed the Converse to Rose. He began to wrap the edges of the blankets around Ten's feet and legs.

'We won't,' she promised. She watched as Smith and Greg finished wrapping Ten. Then they wove straps through the holes down the sides of the stretcher, flung the ends across Ten's body and buckled them firmly in place.

Smith moved back to squat beside Ten's shoulders. 'I know you don't think you have any spinal injury, and heaven knows I don't see any sign of it, but I'm not taking any further risks. Not from that fall you took.' He brought out a roll of strong tape from his pocket, and Greg handed him two rolled up towels. 'Just... going... to put these... either side of your head.' He talked as he worked. 'And then I'm going to...' He pulled out a length of tape from its roller and, as Greg brushed Ten's fringe away, lowered the middle of the length onto his forehead. After affixing the ends of the tape firmly to the stretcher, he leaned back. 'There.'

Ten almost crossed his eyes looking at the tape. 'You... you taped me!' he said, a note of disbelief in his voice. 'I've never been taped before. In all the years, decades, centuries... _Tape_?'

'Consider it a character-building experience,' said Greg.

'What happens now?' asked Rose. She shivered. Greg took the drier of the two original blankets, stood up and draped it over her shoulders. Rose clutched the edges thankfully with one hand and drew them together. She still held the Converse in her other.

'We wait,' said George. He took something out of the packages and walked away from them towards the water. Soon a sudden, piercingly bright, rushing flame appeared-then another one.

'Flares,' explained Greg.

'I've phoned for air rescue from the mainland,' said Smith. 'They will find us here. Twenty minutes, maybe. It will be quicker than trying to get him up that ledge or over the rocks. Luckily, the tide's on its way out. Besides, he needs a hospital. Not my little office.'

'Thank you,' said Rose fervently. She knelt by Ten's side, in the spot Greg had vacated. Ten's gaze followed her. 'How do you feel? Any better?'

'Not really,' he murmured. 'This board's hard. The sand was softer. Well, soft and damp. Well... soft, damp and cold. And pebbles. Pebbles are hard. I don't like pebbles. No pebbles.'

'So, what you're saying is-the board's better,' she teased softly.

'Yeah,' he answered. 'All trussed up like a mummy.'

She put his shoes down and stroked his hair. She looked up and saw everyone watching her. 'Can you give him something for the pain?'

'I'm sorry,' said Smith. 'They told me not to.'

'Why? Who?'

Smith looked up at Greg and George. 'Could you give us a little privacy, gents?'

Greg nodded and moved off. George looked slightly mutinous, but then he followed.

'It's to do with the Doctor being a chimera,' Smith told her in a low voice.

'A... a what?'

'Chimera. It's rare. Incredibly rare, but sometimes people are born with two sets of genes. Different parts of his body exhibit different properties. I'm told that the Doctor also has complex allergies to medicine. I've been instructed not to administer any drugs of any kind.'

'So that's how Martha explained it,' murmured Ten.

'Chimera?' she asked him.

'You know,' he said. 'Donna... hand...all that...'

Her expression cleared. 'Yeah.' She nodded. 'Got it.' She stroked his hair again. 'Can you do that... that meditation thing again?'

'Yeah,' he whispered.

And, as Rose continued to gently stroke his hair, and Smith quietly watched in wonder, Ten's face relaxed and his eyes became unfocused. And they waited.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

UNIT's helicopter came 15 minutes later, the downdraft setting the water rippling and Rose's hair flying. Even with the tide out, the pilot clearly chose to land as close to the cliff as he dared to avoid the wet sand and mud.

There was a stir among the villagers and with George when they realized that the helicopter was not the usual Royal Air Force SAR. However, the military personnel did not heed them and they clustered around Ten. Rose sat nearby as the paramedics worked over him, checking vital statistics, inserting an IV, fitting a more secure neck brace and holding a breather mask to his face.

During all of this, Ten remained in his Time Vortex trance. The paramedics were initially concerned with his lack of response, but this time Rose, bolstered by Dr. Smith, managed to explain it as a defence mechanism. Clearly they were well versed in UNIT's knowledge of the Doctor and so they accepted this new information from Rose at face value and did not try to rouse him.

Within minutes, Ten was transferred on board. Before she too climbed aboard, Rose clasped Doctor Smith's hands. 'Thank you,' she said fervently. She then scrambled up into the helicopter, pulled up by one of the marines. Inside, Ten's stretcher was secured against the curving wall of the helicopter and she found a perch by his head but out of the way of the paramedics.

After what seemed an interminable wait on the shore, the flight to Newcastle seemed short and calm although Rose knew that it must have been another thirty minutes. However, when they landed, it seemed to her as if everything exploded into action. The hatch in the side of the helicopter was pulled open even before the rotors above had stopped whirling and barked orders and shouting filled the interior. Before she knew it, Ten was carried out, stretcher and all, strapped to a trolley and whisked off into a building.

'Wait,' she cried and scrambled out. It was dark, but bright lights shone down on the helipad. She tried to run after Ten but a soldier stood in her way. 'Get out of my way,' she cried, trying to dodge to the side.

He grasped her by her arms. 'I'm sorry, miss, but you can't go with him.'

'I've got to,' she shouted. 'You don't understand-'

'Yes, we do,' he said firmly, still holding her back. 'He's in good hands. They've been briefed and know all about his needs.'

'Not all of them,' she shot back and struggled.

'I'm sorry, miss, but I have my orders. If there's anything you need me to pass on, I'll gladly do so. In the meantime, you'll need to follow me.'

He let go of one of her arms, but he kept his hand firmly around her upper right. It was clear that he would stop her again if she tried to escape. As they too passed through the doors, they were joined by two more soldiers who fell into step with them. Rose gave up then, especially when the interior proved to be a labyrinth of corridors. She had no idea which way Ten had been taken.

After much twisting and turning and rounding of corners, they finally arrived at a door. Upon walking through, Rose found herself in a large hospital room with one empty bed. She turned to the soldier in confusion.

'I don't need-'

'This is for the Doctor when he has been stabilized. We've added a cot for you.'

Rose walked around the bed and found the low cot against the wall, parallel to the higher bed. It was already made up.

'Thank you,' she said. 'But I need to see-'

'The Doctor will be brought in as soon as he is able,' the soldier said kindly, but with a note of finality. 'I suggest you get what rest you can. Is there anything you need? Pyjamas, drink, food?'

'Nothing,' she said shortly. However, as the door closed with a click, she regretted not asking for water. At least there'd be a chance to ask about the Doctor if someone were to return to the room. She crossed over to the door and put an ear to the crack. There was no sound outside. Cautiously, she turned the knob, but it was locked.

Trembling, she sat down on the cot. Alone, with nothing to do but wait, she suddenly found energy draining from her. She didn't even know the time, but thought that it must be in the middle of the night by now.

'Just a little longer,' she whispered to herself. 'Wait for him to return.' She tried to think of strategies for getting answers about the Doctor, or ways to escape from the room in case UNIT had lied about bringing him back to her after stabilizing him, but the more she tried to marshal her thoughts, the more she felt confused and muddled. The recent events were catching up to her. Her eyelids began to droop and she struggled to keep them open. Finally, almost against her will, she fell sideways onto the bed, her head hitting soft pillows. Even before she registered that she hadn't taken off her shoes, exhaustion overtook her and she knew no more.

_To be continued_


	6. Fear of the Unknown

**Author's Notes:** Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

**Disclaimer:** This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Fear of the Unknown**

* * *

The next thing Rose knew was that it was morning. She moved her head and realized that at some point in the night, someone had removed her shoes, lifted her feet onto the cot and covered her with blankets.

'Good morning, sleepy head,' said a familiar voice and Rose opened her eyes, startled. It was Martha. All the events of the night before came rushing back.

Rose struggled to sit up and, looking over to the bed, realized that Ten was there. His head was turned and he was watching her.

'Doctor!' She threw back the blankets and sprang to her feet. As she stood by his side, he reached over with his left hand and clasped hers. His eyes were open and alert, and the head of the bed had been raised slightly. He wore nasal cannula, and an IV was in the back of his right hand.

'Hey,' he said softly.

'How is he?' she asked, not taking her gaze from him.

'He's fine,' said Martha. 'Well, in a manner of speaking. But all the X-rays and CAT scans have come back negative. Not a single fracture, which is pretty unbelievable, considering what happened. Even for him.'

Rose put Ten's hand down on the coverlet and flung her arms around Martha. 'I'm so glad you're here,' she whispered. Martha hugged her back tightly.

'There's no way I'd stay away,' Martha said firmly. 'Besides, I'm considered the expert on Ten's physiology, so I was mobilized as soon as the call came in. They know better than to ask anyone else.'

'Have you...' Rose hesitated and looked to see if there were anyone outside the door. 'Have you stopped them from keeping samples of his blood?'

Martha followed her gaze and, letting go of Rose, shut the door. She returned to the bedside. 'Yes, and I personally made sure all the instruments were autoclaved and all disposable items burned. UNIT seems to accept that this is a cultural imperative and isn't questioning it. For now, at any rate.'

Rose let out a sigh of relief.

'I'm afraid I had to burn your clothes as well,' Martha added, looking at Ten. 'There was too much blood on them. We had to cut them off you anyways, so they were ruined.'

'Thanks!' he said cheerfully.

Rose frowned, but she couldn't stay annoyed with him and so her scowl melted into a rueful grin as she and Martha moved to each side of his bed.

'How are you feeling?' Rose asked. In the daylight, she could see that his face had cuts and bruises although all thankfully small.

'Ohh, well,' he said slowly. 'You know me. Always muddle through in the end. Besides, I'm in a comfy bed. Like a comfy bed, me! Mind you, never understood the attraction before. But, yep, I definitely like a comfy bed-ever since becoming human.'

Martha shook her head half exasperated and half fondly before continuing. 'Fortunately, while you lost a fair bit of blood, I think we can get by without giving you a transfusion, though you won't be able to exert yourself for a while-not that you'll be able to anyways. Besides, there's no-one who has blood that would match what you've got. Donna would be the closest, but we can't ask her.'

'No,' he agreed, sobering.

'What about her mother or her grandfather,' asked Rose.

'No,' he said immediately. 'Leave them alone. They don't need any more meddling from me in their lives.'

'So, what happened?' asked Martha. 'I've got the story from the islanders, but knowing you, there was something else. The fellow who witnessed your fall swore that your back had been broken.'

'He sort of... regenerated,' said Rose.

Martha stared at Rose across the bed and then down at Ten. 'Really? I thought that wasn't possible.'

'So did I,' he replied. 'But it wasn't complete. Just enough, it seems, to repair the worst of the injuries-to keep me alive. Possibly that was all the regenerative energy I had left. A one-time deal. Fini. Kaput.'

'Never again?' asked Rose hesitantly. 'I mean, if you're hurt again?' She took his hand in hers.

'I don't know,' he admitted, gently rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

'Well, don't try to find out, all right?' said Martha darkly. 'No more sitting on fences at the top of a cliff.'

'Yes, ma'am,' he answered mildly. 'Not one of my better moments.'

'At any rate,' she said briskly, 'you should stay here for a few days. You're going to be bruised and hurting for quite a while and won't feel like doing much. But in the meantime, bring me up to speed. What have you found out about the island?'

They told her, or rather Rose did, mostly, with Ten adding in comments. At the point where Rose described the dark figure bending over Ten, Martha stopped the narrative.

'So there _are_ two distinct beings?' she queried. 'The NATS-nice acronym, by the way!-and this...one alien? Could you see any details?'

Rose shook her head. 'No. It was too dark, and it disappeared when I got near. Sort of... teleported.'

Ten was also curious. 'I didn't see that-well, what with dying, I suppose-but, hm! Sorry I missed it!'

'I'm sorry you did, too,' said Martha. 'You might have been able to identify it. Nevertheless, you two have given us a lot more to go on. UNIT can send some other investigators to continue the mission. They can pose as tourists and-'

'No!'

Ten's outburst stopped Martha and she stared at him. 'Well, you two can't go back there,' she said reasonably. 'For one thing, they know who you are and obviously don't want you back. Also, you aren't in any fit shape to do anything right now.'

'No,' Ten repeated emphatically. 'It's got to be me. There's something about those NATS-I can feel it. If only I could remember... Augh! I need more time. Your UNIT fellows won't know the first thing about these beings.'

'He said they were time-creatures,' pointed out Rose. 'So is the Doctor.'

'I'm a creature?' he echoed, affronted.

'Of course you are,' she said, shaking his hand playfully side to side. 'A barking-mad, lovable, alien time-creature. And don't you forget it.'

'Oh, all right then,' he said, happily.

Martha shook her head, smiling ruefully. 'All right, you two. Back you go-in a few days, and after I'm convinced you can look after yourselves. It's against my better judgement, but you do have a point.' She thought for a moment. 'I'll have to arrange for a car. You'll find it tough to walk to the village. Luckily, your rooms are on the main floor of the castle so you won't have to deal with too many stairs. I think I can get at least one more night for you since, technically, you never had the 24 hours they promised you. I'm hoping for more if we can work on the villagers' sympathy.'

'Car's no good. I can't drive,' objected Rose.

'Oi!' Ten stared at her. 'I can.'

Martha and Rose looked at each other and then back at him.

Martha spoke first. 'I dread to think-Mr. throw-the-Tardis-around-every-which-way. If you drive a car like you did your ship, you'd end up in trouble in no time.'

'Look up your UNIT records,' said Ten sulkily. 'I had a car; I drove, and I did a mighty fine job of it too, I might add.'

Martha's eyebrows raised. 'Hm! That I must see. Well! I'll have to get you a driver's licence if what you say is backed up by the records.'

'She said you'd have trouble walking,' said Rose gently.

'A car is driven from the seated position,' he said, still slightly petulantly. 'If you're really concerned, find me one with an automatic transmission. I won't have to use my left leg, although it's not half as much fun.'

'Right,' said Martha decisively. 'I'll see what I can arrange. In the meantime, I want you to rest. We still can't give you any pain medication. I'm sorry. I wish I'd thought to ask the Doctor-Eleven, I mean-for something. Mind you, he still has my mobile.'

'Don't bother him,' said Ten sharply. 'Leave him alone, too. I'll be all right.'

Martha raised her eyebrows. 'All right, mister. But next time I do see him, I'll make sure we do get something your particular genetic soup can tolerate.'

A knock at the door sounded loudly through the room. Martha opened the door and an orderly stood outside with a food-trolley.

'Breakfast!' said Rose. 'I'm famished.'

'Lunch, more like,' said Martha with a grin. 'It's nearly noon.' She left then, with another admonishment that Ten rest, as the orderly placed the food on a tray table and quietly disappeared.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

After they had eaten the food, Ten found himself uncharacteristically tired.

'Just as well,' commented Rose when he once again struggled to keep awake. 'I know you. You're going to be bored silly lying here all day.'

'What about you?' he asked.

'Oh, I don't know... Napping seems awfully tempting.' She gauged the width of Ten's bed. He followed her gaze and grinned.

'Capital idea!' Immediately he hoisted himself over to the right side of the bed, but gasped as he landed in the new spot. 'Bad idea,' he muttered after he was able to breathe through the pain.

'Are you thick?' Rose shook her head. 'You've only been comfortable because you haven't moved.'

'Yeah...' he grumbled. 'Well, I'm moved now. Climb aboard!'

And she did so with alacrity, snuggling under the covers, but she was careful not to jostle him. He complained a little when she wouldn't let him put his arm around her shoulders, but he happily subsided when she gently laid her hand across his stomach.

Martha found them that way several hours later. For several minutes, she watched them with a smile on her face and then she gently roused them.

As Rose uncurled and opened her eyes, Martha apologized. 'I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you, but I need to examine the Doctor. Also, it's almost dinner time.'

Ten opened his eyes reluctantly. Rose sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. As Martha quickly and deftly examined the grumbling Doctor, Rose realized that several of the gashes he had received had needed stitches, including the back of his head.

Martha stood back, pleased. 'You're already healing well. Perhaps it's a leftover from the partial regeneration, but you are showing improvement other people would only show after three days or more. The rate you're going, you'll be able to have those stitches out in just a few days, if not sooner.'

Ten looked a little pleased until a frown appeared. 'More poking me with sharp objects,' he muttered.

'My hero,' she said, chuckling. 'Don't worry. I'll make sure Rose is here to hold your hand.'

After dinner had been delivered and eaten, Ten promptly fell asleep again, but Rose got up and explored what she could of the building. It seemed to be a UNIT base as well as a hospital. There were several areas she wasn't allowed into, and more than once she was redirected by personnel. However, she gained a basic knowledge of the building layout and had found Martha who clearly also was staying overnight. The two had a long chat, mostly about Ten in the beginning, but then ranging through recollections of adventures, hopes for the future and thoughts about the present. They parted, firm friends.

No sooner than Rose had returned to Ten's room and closed the door, the sound of pounding footsteps came from outside. It was Martha and someone Rose hadn't met yet.

As they hastily entered the room, Ten woke, blinking and yawning.

'I'm really sorry, Doctor,' Martha gasped, 'but we need to ask you more questions. This is General McIntyre, the supervisor for this base.'

The general, a stocky man with salt and pepper hair, spoke without preamble. 'We received a message a few minutes ago from one Doctor Smith of Holy Island. He reported that the villagers are very upset about what happened to you yesterday. From what Smith understands, they plan to lie in wait for the... what you call the NATS, and for the being Ms. Tyler saw, and to attack them on sight.'

'What?' gasped Ten. He sat up with a start and immediately yelped. He fell back against the pillows. 'What?' he asked again, panting.

'We have a volatile situation here,' the general continued. 'Troops are mobilizing, but we need to consult with you.'

'I need to go,' Ten said firmly.

'You're in no condition to do anything,' Martha shot back.

'Let the army deal with this, Doctor,' McIntyre said. 'We know our jobs.'

'Yes, yes, yes,' Ten said impatiently. 'But you're military. They're not going to trust you. They've already made that clear. And what do you plan to do about the NATS? Shoot them? No guns, general. Not a single one!'

'And how do you propose to rectify the situation?'

'I still haven't seen any sign that the NATS are dangerous,' Ten said stubbornly.

McIntyre raised his eyebrows. 'Driving you over a cliff isn't dangerous?'

Ten made a self-deprecating gesture. 'As people have pointed out to me, sitting on a fence at the top of a cliff wasn't exactly good planning on my part. It doesn't mean, General, that the NATS wanted me to fall.'

'Nor does it mean that they didn't. I need cool heads, Doctor. Not poor planning.'

'So I'll sit down on flat ground! Better than blundering in there with big guns!'

The general pursed his lips and thought for a moment. Finally he spoke. 'Doctor Jones, is there any way the Doctor can travel?'

Martha looked unhappy. 'I can't hold him back. All the tests we've run have cleared him. He will be in a lot of pain, but as long as he has assistance-he shouldn't be walking yet on that leg-I can't actually forbid...'

'Good,' interrupted the General. 'Get dressed, Doctor. Lord knows you've always done well by us in the past. Is there anything you need from UNIT?'

'No,' said Ten firmly. 'And-no guns, General! I just need to be there.'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

They were in the air thirty minutes later: Ten, Rose and Martha, McIntyre and a handful of UNIT personnel. Another helicopter carried troops, but in response to Ten's demands, McIntyre consented to that helicopter landing at Bamburgh and waiting for orders should they be needed.

Ten and Rose's helicopter headed for just outside the village, to a field between the priory and the strait. The sun was on the horizon and the stones of the priory ruins glowed red in the rich, golden light. Looking down through the window, Rose could see long shadows streaming across the fields. By the time the helicopter had landed, Ten was brought out in a wheelchair, still wearing hospital pyjamas and dressing gown and everyone clustered around him, the sun was gone and twilight had settled over the island.

Doctor Smith was waiting for them and came rushing up as soon as the helicopter blades had stopped whirring overhead.

'Thank goodness you're here!' he cried. 'I've never seen everyone so scared and defensive. They're arming themselves with whatever they can find. Someone has even brought a can of hairspray and a lighter.'

'Where are they?' demanded McIntyre.

'They're assembling in the middle of the village,' Smith answered, wringing his hands. 'One group plans to go out to the castle. The other to the priory.'

'Take me to the priory,' snapped Ten. 'It's closest. And send some of these fine fellows to the castle. Have them prevent any violence from the villagers, but leave the NATS alone.'

'You heard him,' said McIntyre. 'And self-defense only in clear and present danger.'

Four soldiers turned and headed out of the village at a run.

Unfortunately, the ground was rather bumpy, but with a word from McIntyre, the remaining four soldiers surrounded Ten and picked him up, wheelchair and all, and carried him to the pavement that ran alongside the field towards the priory. Martha, carrying crutches, followed behind with Rose. Once they reached the path, the soldiers put Ten down and one of them pushed him along. By the time his group approached the gate of the priory, they could see the villagers approaching. George was at the forefront. Betty, Arthur and Mabel were amongst the rest.

The two groups faced each other at the gate.

'Doctor,' said George. 'It's good to see you on the mend. And you, Rose. I wish I could say the same for the rest of your entourage.'

'You're planning to attack the NATS,' said Ten. His voice was gentle but firm. 'I can't allow that.'

'It's not your decision to make!' George said angrily. 'People have been attacked. You more than anyone should know that.'

'Have any of you been hurt?' Ten demanded.

'They knocked Mabel to the ground,' said Betty. 'They nearly killed you.'

'The fall nearly killed me,' said Ten. 'Not the NATS. As for Mabel, she wasn't actually hurt, yeah?'

'You're splitting hairs,' said Arthur who had moved to the front along with Betty. 'They're aggressive and they have invaded our home.'

'A minute here and there at places you don't usually visit at night?' said Ten. 'That's an invasion?'

'That's how it feels to us,' said Betty.

'All right,' said Ten, raising his hands. 'All right. But I beg you. Don't attack them! Let me talk to them. I'm not near any cliffs. I'll be fine. Just don't attack!'

But at that moment, someone yelled. 'They're here!'

Inside the ruins, amongst the highest of the crumbled walls, a glow could be seen.

'Come on!' shouted a voice Rose didn't recognize.

'Wait,' shouted Ten. 'Don't hurt them!'

But the villagers did not listen. They surged as one, forward to the gate.

_To be continued_


	7. Awakened to Time

**Author's Notes:** Lindisfarne (and Holy Island) is a real place, and descriptions of the castle, priory and general orientation of the island are based on memory and a bit of research. However, while I visited the island once in the past, I do not know any of the inhabitants. All characters appearing in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

**Disclaimer:** This story takes place within the Doctor Who universe. This story is a way of re-interpreting concepts and ideas already present in Doctor Who. All Doctor Who characters within belong to the BBC. All other characters are fictitious. This story is for fun and for sharing, but not for profit.

* * *

**Chapter 7:** _Awakened to Time_

* * *

The villagers streamed through the gate, heading for the glow in the ruins.

'General,' shouted Ten. 'I need to get in there!'

McIntyre nodded towards one of the soldiers and the man pushed Ten into the grounds and over the path, much too slowly for Ten's taste. After they reached the end of the path and the beginning of the last grassy section before the ruins, they found that the cultivated lawn was smooth enough for the wheelchair; however, the going was even slower. McIntyre gestured and the four soldiers immediately picked Ten and the wheelchair up again.

'Not exactly "charging to the rescue",' Ten muttered as they carried him over the grass and towards the ruins. He clung to the armrests and winced as he was rocked back and forth.

Martha stayed with Ten's entourage, but Rose ran ahead with McIntyre. When she reached the inner ruins, she saw that the villagers had stopped, hesitant now that they had the chance to attack.

Between them and the NATS, twenty feet away and almost directly under the Rainbow arch, stood a dark, hooded shape.

'Wait for the Doctor!' she shouted at them. There seemed something familiar about this being.

'Don't move, or we'll attack,' shouted George.

'I order you to stop!' boomed McIntyre.

Unfortunately, his words seemed to have the opposite effect. At the sound of their voices, the hooded being raised a hand towards its waist. Several of the villagers, including George, visibly gathered themselves to rush forward. A well-aimed rock came hurtling from the group and struck the being's midsection. Rose thought she saw a small flicker of light, perhaps a spark, at the point of impact. But she didn't wait to figure it out. She ran in front of the villagers.

'Don't hurt him!' she cried.

But before they had a chance to do anything further, a commanding voice rang out from behind the villagers. 'Stop!'

Rose craned her neck, trying to see past the crowd.. Behind them stood Reverend Milne. The villagers instantly obeyed him.

'What are you thinking?' the vicar asked gently as he came forward. 'There cannot be any violence here!'

'Vicar,' cried Mabel. 'Those things, the things that attacked me. They're right there.'

'And this being here has attacked you?'

Mabel blinked. 'No... but...'

By this time, Ten's group had arrived, clustered just outside the empty, arched entranceway. The vicar looked at them and saw Ten in his wheelchair.

'I'm glad to see you again,' the vicar said. 'Are you all right?'

'I'm fine,' said Ten. 'Vicar, you must let me approach. Violence won't solve anything!'

'I agree,' responded the vicar. 'All of you-let him go to them. Give him room.'

The villagers muttered, but they obediently stepped back. McIntyre frowned, but clearly considering the situation, he nodded to the four soldiers. However, before they had a chance to pick Ten up again, he shook his head. 'That's useless. Martha, did I see crutches?'

'You did.' She brought them forward and handed them to him. 'But be careful! I don't think I need to tell you you're not invincible... and it's going to hurt.'

Ten shrugged, but, wincing, he let Martha help him to his feet. Using the crutches and his good, right leg, he hobbled past McIntyre and into the ruins. As he passed by the vicar, the man laid his hand briefly on Ten's shoulder.

Rose stepped back to let him by, and the villagers stayed where they were, watching intently. Martha, McIntyre and the soldiers came up behind.

The NATS could clearly be seen now through the arch and amongst the tallest walls of the ruins. The familiar shimmer hovered, bright in the deepening twilight. Nearby stones were lit up softly by the glow.

Ten stopped about ten feet in front of the being. Rose noticed that he placed himself between the being and the group of villagers. For a moment, neither he nor the creature moved. Then he looked back towards her and put his hand out. 'Rose,' he said in a low voice. 'The screwdriver.'

She pulled it out of her pocket and threw it in an underarm swing, hoping that would seem less aggressive to the creature.

Ten caught it and held it up for the being to see. 'This is not a weapon,' he said slowly and clearly. He pressed his thumb to the controls and the tip glowed blue. Then he began to flash the light on and off in a series of patterns, too quickly for Rose to make out. But that gesture made a piece of the puzzle click into place. She had seen this before.

The creature watched, and when Ten had finished, it too brought out a device and responded, rapidly flicking on and off a light in an erratic staccato beat.

Ten responded with another brief volley of flashes, and then he pocketed the screwdriver. He looked over his shoulder and said firmly, 'Whatever happens next, do not interfere.'

And then, without waiting for anyone's response, and by swinging his crutches forward, he took a step towards the being. The being responded with its own step forward. Bit by bit, neither one moving at a faster rate than the other, they met in the middle.

The being took Ten's crutches from him and laid them on the ground. Ten merely waited, balancing on one foot. The being straightened and put its arms around Ten into what seemed like a hug. Ten wrapped his own arms around the dark form. But when the sleeves of the being drew back, everyone could see long claws with sharp tips ranged along Ten's spine. Gasps of horror could be heard, and not just from the villagers.

'It's all right,' Rose hissed. 'It's okay. It won't hurt him.' She held her breath, hoping that the vicar's presence would continue to be an effective barrier.

After a moment, the being withdrew, and Ten also let his arms fall to his sides. A moment later, the crutches were back under Ten's arms. However, the slow, measured backing-up proved to be a little more difficult for him. Nevertheless, the creature matched his slower pace and soon they were ten feet apart again.

Once more, the rapid-fire exchange of flashes spoke from screwdriver to device. Then, pocketing the signalling device, the creature unfastened something from a belt and threw it, with an underhand swing like Rose's, to Ten.

'That was good aim, whoever threw that rock,' Ten muttered, as he trained his screwdriver at the device and made it whirr. 'Unnecessary and uncalled for, but good aim.'

But as soon as he had pocketed the screwdriver, the General held out his hand. 'Doctor, that device. Over here.'

'Sorry,' said Ten brightly. 'Belongs to this chap over here.' He tossed it back to the being who promptly reattached it. 'There you are, my friend. Good travels!'

The being touched some control on the device and, amidst cries of wonderment from the onlookers, it vanished in a brief flash of multicoloured light.

'Doctor,' began McIntyre angrily, 'when I tell you to-'

'Just... just, just hold that thought, there, General,' said Ten, waggling his finger. 'One down and...' he peered through the arch, '...and, oh, a few hundred to go, I'd say. Won't be a tick.'

He immediately propelled himself forward, wielding his crutches busily. Behind her, Rose could hear the General muttering. She briefly wondered how long his patience with the Doctor would last.

But when Ten reached the arch, the NATS shot forward and enveloped him, pushing and jostling all around. As the crutches fell from him, he tumbled to the ground and immediately cried out.

'They're hurting him,' screamed Mabel, but Martha ran forward and faced them.

'No, they're not,' she shouted. 'That was his injuries. Leave him alone. That's what he wants.'

McIntyre gestured and the four marines moved to stand close to the villagers, forming a barrier between them and the NATS. The vicar joined the marines. Rose had stepped forward involuntarily when Ten fell, but she kept herself from rushing to his aid.

A hush fell over everyone. Throughout the commotion, neither Ten nor the NATS had paid anyone any attention. Instead, Ten half sat, half lay against the edge of the archway and the NATS covered his entire body, tightly clustered around him.

Rose peered at him. Through the glow and the jiggling NATS, she could see a look of wonder on his face in spite of the tightness of pain she could see around his eyes. Slowly, he stretched out his arms and moved his hands about, gazing raptly as the NATS swirled around, reclustered against his skin and glowed even brighter.

'It doesn't look like they're hurting him,' whispered Betty with a note of awe.

There was a rustle of people nodding or murmuring agreement, but no-one took their gaze off the tableau in front of them. The light of the NATS reached further now, illuminating the Rainbow arch high above and the walls around, and surrounding Ten and the NATS in a rich, ancient stone frame lit up by golden light.

'Beautiful,' breathed Martha.

Rose found herself nodding in agreement as her hands slowly unclenched. Ten's eyes were closed now, and his body was relaxed.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when the cloud of NATS began to lessen and the glow diminish. Bit by bit, individual NATS winked out of existence until all were gone and Ten was left alone amongst the dark walls of the ruins.

She rushed forward, joined by Martha, and the vicar and McIntyre followed behind. The marines and the villagers clustered around. Rose knelt in front of Ten and she took his hands. When someone shone a torch down onto him and he opened his eyes, she saw a single tear run down his cheek.

'Doctor?' she asked softly.

He looked at her but didn't speak. His fingers tightened around hers.

'What happened, Doctor?' asked McIntyre. His strong voice startled everyone.

Ten shifted and Rose helped him sit more fully upright against the archway.

'Are you all right?' asked Martha. She too knelt in front of him, beside Rose.

Ten nodded. After a few deep breaths, he looked up and then started, as if realizing for the first time that he had a larger audience.

'I'm... I'm... yeah, I'm fine,' he said, nodding slowly.

Betty squatted down beside him. 'We were wrong, I think. Those things liked you.'

Ten looked at her and nodded again, but remained silent.

The vicar cleared his throat. 'Something profound has happened here. George, get his wheelchair, would you? We need to get him somewhere warm and out of this cool air.'

Martha looked up. 'Yeah. That's a good idea. Where can we go?'

Arthur spoke up. 'The pub is only a block away. There's a room at the back where we wouldn't be disturbed.'

'That will do,' said McIntyre. 'Show the way.'

George arrived with the wheelchair and he and Martha helped Ten into it. Ten remained uncharacteristically quiet as they wheeled him out of the ruins, through the graveyard and out onto the street. Except for Arthur and Betty who had gone ahead to warn the owner, everyone followed silently-not a single person split off to go elsewhere, and soon they were all in the back room of the pub. The soldiers were told off to guard the door.

Betty bustled about making tea, and she and the owner brought in several trays and cups for all. She made Ten's tea for him herself, claiming that she knew exactly how he liked it. Indeed, as soon as he held the hot cup in his hands and breathed in the steam, he seemed to collect himself.

'Right, then,' he said at last. 'They won't come back.'

A murmur shot through the room. 'How do you know?' asked George.

'They agreed not to.'

'"They" meaning the NATS?' asked McIntyre. 'Or the... the-'

'The Pilgrim?' finished Ten. 'Both.'

Rose smiled triumphantly and she saw Martha's face suddenly clear with understanding.

'How do you know they agreed not to?' McIntyre prodded. 'I mean, you used something like Morse Code with this... "Pilgrim".'

'Yeah, something like it,' agreed Ten. 'And the NATS just...' He tapped his temple.

'They spoke into your mind?' asked Arthur, sounding skeptical. 'What is this? Telepathy? I don't believe that. Those little bugs?'

'Yes, they did,' said Ten diffidently. 'Of course you wouldn't believe that. You lot decided that throwing rocks was a better way to communicate. Never seen them before? Let's attack them!' He leaned forward. 'That Pilgrim belongs to a race that reveres ancient places of worship throughout the galaxy. Doesn't matter the religion, doesn't matter the philosophy. They cherish holy places of all planets and all cultures. And you chucked a rock at it!'

'Oh my...' murmured the vicar. 'A true pilgrim. From space! What it must think of us.'

'Actually, it forgives you.' Ten leaned back in his chair. 'It forgives all of you. A very forgiving race, they are. They've met fear and violence before and are used to it in less-developed species. In fact, it was trying to herd the NATS away from Earth so that you'd be left in peace.'

Betty's eyes were round. 'All this time...' she whispered. 'It was trying to help us!'

'Er,' said Arthur. 'Less-developed species?'

'As for the NATS,' continued Ten, 'they are just drawn to old things-the older, the better. Minding their own business.' He took another sip of tea.

'They're aliens too?' asked George.

'Yep.' The pop of the 'p' sounded throughout the silent room.

'Cor!' whispered Mabel. 'Like all those things over London...'

'Not exactly,' said Ten carelessly. 'Well, not at all, really. But!' Here, several people jumped, startled. 'No need to worry. I've told them that Holy Island is off limits. Well, all of human-kind, for that matter. They understand. 'Sides-' He shrugged. 'Plenty of other old things in the universe to explore.'

McIntyre shifted his feet. 'So, the Pilgrims, who came for the holy places, also happen to be controlling the NATS who simply like old places?'

'Ehhh...' Ten screwed up his face at that. 'Er, I wouldn't say "controlling", exactly. But, yeah, that's pretty much it. Apparently they've had to guide the NATS away from things from time to time. Much like you might do with excitable children. They were concerned about the lot of you and didn't want you to be alarmed by the NATS'... exuberance.'

George leaned forward, planting his hands on the table. 'What was that Pilgrim doing to you when you fell?'

'It was trying to help me. It knew I had been hurt and it felt responsible because the NATS had... had... _contributed_ to the problem.'

'So, that's... it,' said George. 'That's all.'

'Yep,' agreed Ten. 'That's it.'

'Hm,' muttered Arthur. He cleared his throat. 'Tell me, Doctor. Who are you that knows all these things? You talk blithely of aliens and galaxies, and you knew what code to use with the Pilgrim.'

'Oh, well...' Ten shrugged again. 'I'm just a fellow who listens. I get along by assuming that not everything new and different is a menace.'

'He's been a consultant for a long time,' said Rose quickly. 'He's met aliens before... when they've come to Earth,' she amended.

'And thus we have good cause to thank you,' said the vicar. 'I'm afraid we have not showed these visitors, or you, Doctor, any kindness.'

Several villagers shuffled their feet at this and looked anywhere but at Ten.

'Naah,' he said. 'I'm used to it. Besides, I've had some absolutely top-notch tea here!' Betty beamed at this. 'But, promise me one thing. No more rock throwing, yeah?'

'No, sir,' said a rather subdued voice from the back of the room.

'I believe I know what I shall preach about this coming Sunday,' said the vicar.

'Capital!' enthused Ten. 'You tend to your flock, Vicar, and we should... probably... leave.' He looked at McIntyre.

'I concur,' the general responded. 'We need to return to the base and conduct a further debriefing-you haven't told me everything I need to know-'

'Oh, do I have to?' Ten whined. He looked at Martha and she nodded, almost imperceptibly. 'Oh, all right then. If we must.' He looked decidedly disgruntled.

'What about our stuff at the castle,' asked Rose suddenly. 'It's all still there.'

George, Arthur and Betty looked at each other, then behind them at the rest of the group. As if reaching a consensus, they faced forward again.

'Er, you see,' said George, 'after all that's happened, we thought that... well, least we could do-'

'-though there's no reason why you'd want to, now-' interjected Arthur.

'-you could stay at the castle tonight,' finished Betty. 'And... maybe we could all have another vote tomorrow morning-'

'-We do need a caretaker at the castle-' said George.

'-and I for one would feel better if you stayed,' interrupted Mabel. 'Just in case any of those aliens return.'

A big grin spread across Ten's face. 'That's more like it! Though, I promise you, the aliens won't return.'

'Will the Doctor be okay?' asked Rose. 'Does he need to go back to the hospital tonight?'

'Oi! I'm right here,' Ten groused. 'You could ask me.'

'She has a point, Doctor,' said McIntyre.

Martha nodded. 'I'd prefer to have him back at the hospital, if only to make sure he toes the line and doesn't get himself in any more trouble-'

'Oi!'

'-but from a medical standpoint, I would have discharged anyone else who has reached the level of healing he's done. One night at the castle won't hurt; although... I would prescribe home care for a few days if he stays longer.'

'And it starts...' muttered Ten, sotto voce. 'My life as a human on Earth...'

'He still needs to be debriefed,' said McIntyre.

'Right, sir,' said Martha. 'But...sir...if I stay on here, I can provide the home care myself as well as debrief him. Certainly, as his physician, I do recommend that he not be kept up further tonight. He's been through more than enough for one evening.'

McIntyre pursed his lips and thought. Rose held her breath.

'All right,' he said at last, and Rose let her breath out, relieved. 'You will stay at the castle tonight to keep an eye on the Doctor. Tomorrow you will have to find a place to stay whether or not he continues as caretaker.'

'General?' Martha asked, confused.

'That's the condition, Doctor Jones. You will be helping debrief the villagers.'

'What-?' cried Mabel, and Arthur scowled.

'The events of tonight are not to be discussed with anyone, understand?' McIntyre looked at each person in the room. 'This is classified information and it needs to be contained. All you need to say to the others who live on Holy Island is that the case has been solved and that the unexplained events will not happen again. Do you understand me?'

'I doubt, General,' said the vicar, 'that anyone can stop us from talking amongst ourselves. We have all wondered about the NATS and the Pilgrim, and we are a close-knit community. Also, we know that the encounter with the NATS clearly affected the Doctor more than he's letting on.'

At this, Rose looked at Ten, but he resolutely kept his gaze downward. She noticed the General and Martha, too, giving a quick, sharp glance his way.

'However,' continued the vicar hastily, as if regretting having called attention to Ten. 'I do feel I speak for that community when I say that I don't think we'd share it with anyone who did not live on the island.'

'I think that's the best you're gonna get, General,' Ten murmured. 'I wouldn't push it any further.'

'Hmm.' McIntyre looked unhappy, but he nodded slowly. 'Very well, then. Jones, see to it that your patient is settled in at the castle. I will have a jeep sent to you by morning with your kit.'

'Could I have a car for the Doctor, sir?' asked Martha. 'He'd need an automatic, if possible. Oh, and a licence.'

'One automatic car and a licence for the Doctor,' responded the general. 'I'll see what I can do.' He sighed. 'Anything else?'

'Nope,' said Ten, visibly rousing himself. 'Happy as clams, we are.'

The General made what suspiciously sounded like a growling noise and then he turned on his heel and marched out the door. He could be heard barking orders to the marines outside.

'Time to get you to bed, mister,' muttered Martha to Ten, 'before we all get in trouble.'

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

It was midnight by the time Ten was settled into bed at the castle, propped up by pillows against the headboard. George had driven him, Rose and Martha out to the castle and helped him up the slope and through into the back rooms. He also brought the wheelchair from the boot of the car and wheeled it in before returning to the village.

Now, Rose sat cross-legged on the bed beside Ten, with Martha perched on the single bed facing them.

'Are you sure you don't want to sleep?' Rose asked. 'Aren't you tired?' She watched him closely. He had remained quiet all the way back to the castle, although she admitted to herself that that could easily be explained by his accident the night before.

'No,' he said. He stirred, looked at Rose and smiled briefly. 'Slept all day. In actual fact, I'd rather go stargazing. It's a clear night. Moon should go down soon.'

'Sorry,' said Martha. 'You're staying right here.'

He pouted at that, but then admitted, 'Bed's comfy.'

'It is!' agreed Rose. 'Much better than lying outside on some knobbly grass.'

'All right, then,' said Martha briskly. 'Comfy and wide awake. Good. That'll help me with finishing your official debriefing.'

'Now, wait a min-' began Ten.

'Do you want it hanging over your head?' she asked, waggling a pen at him. 'The General wants it by tomorrow noon, and if I don't get it in to him by then, he's likely to recall you and have you fully debriefed in front of a panel of UNIT brass. I've managed to avoid that so far for you. Don't cock it up now!'

'Yes, ma'am,' he said meekly.

Rose grinned. 'You're good.'

Martha grinned back. 'Have to be. The only way to manage him.'

'What?' He looked outraged.

'Question one,' Martha said, overriding him. 'Had you ever met these NATS before?'

'No,' was Ten's sulky response.

'Did they identify themselves to you?'

'Not by name,' he said quietly.

'What was their purpose in coming to Holy Island?'

He hesitated. 'To see old things.'

'That's it?' queried Martha. 'Are you sure?'

'Quite sure,' he said, crossing his arms.

'All right,' responded Martha, eyeing him a little dubiously. 'Have they ever come to Earth before or have they ever contacted anyone here?'

'Nope.'

'Will they honour their promise to you?'

'Human-kind off limits? Never return?' Ten shrugged. 'I don't see why they shouldn't.'

'And the Pilgrim? Have you ever met any of its kind before?'

'Nope.'

'What was that code you used to communicate with it?'

'A common code among spacefaring races. Like Morse code but not.'

'Can you teach it to UNIT personnel?'

'I could, but I won't.'

'Why not?'

'You're not a spacefaring race. Others make assumptions when that code is used and some would likely get angry at upstart planet-bound creatures presuming to misrepresent themselves. I don't want to have to start saving you lot every time you piss off some aliens passing by.'

Martha pursed her lips. 'All right. Just so you know, the general will want to grill you on that one.'

'I won't change my mind.'

'Noted. What does it call its race?'

'Just Pilgrim-in its language, of course.' Ten shifted, clearly restless. Rose laid her hand on his arm.

'Have they ever-'

'No contact, no human knows, won't return,' Ten interrupted. 'They're honourable beings. UNIT can relax. They won't invade, infiltrate, instigate, insult, insinuate, or inebriate.'

Martha blinked and then slowly grinned. 'Thanks. I'll make sure they know that.' She cocked her head to one side and asked, carefully, 'Is there anything else we ought to know about the NATS or the Pilgrims?'

He shook his head. His arms were still crossed resolutely. Rose looked at him and then at Martha.

Martha closed her folder, tucked the pen inside and stuffed it in her bag which she then threw on the floor. 'All done. Sorry about that. If the general has any more questions, I'm sure he'll tell me tomorrow.'

'I'm sure he will,' he said wryly.

Martha leaned forward, her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. 'And what about off the record?' she asked.

'Hmm?' He laid his head back against his pillows and closed his eyes.

'Doctor,' murmured Rose. 'There's more, isn't there.'

He opened one eye a crack and looked at her. He closed it and opened the other, this time looking at Martha. The message was obvious.

'I won't tell UNIT,' promised Martha. 'I won't lie-it would be easier if I could offer them something more, but I won't betray any confidences if they don't affect Earth in any way.'

He opened both his eyes and gazed at her for a moment, frowning slightly as if pondering the safety of continuing the subject. Rose looked at him and then at Martha who merely waited, relaxed and sincere.

'They came to see me,' he said at last.

'You?' asked Martha. 'You said they'd come to see old places.'

'Old things,' he corrected. 'I'm an old thing. Older than this castle... or the priory.'

'I suppose...' said Martha dubiously. 'So they didn't care about the priory or the castle at all, then.'

He shook his head. 'They did. That's why they appeared there. But it was me who drew them.'

Martha stood up and paced around. 'How is that possible? They started showing up a couple of weeks ago, long before you came.'

'Creatures of time,' Ten said softly. 'They came because they knew I would be there. The fact that I only came because of their presence caused by anticipating my arrival certainly created a paradox, but it's a closed loop now. Improbable, but not impossible.'

'Ah,' murmured Martha. 'One of those.'

'Why did they want to see you?' asked Rose, deciding to avoid the headache of a time paradox. 'You said you'd never met them before.'

'I hadn't,' said Ten. He gazed up at the ceiling, as if his mind were far away. 'I didn't know what they were until tonight. I felt it, though. I knew there was something... something just beyond my reach.'

Rose moved her hand up and down his arm, rubbing it gently. A thought suddenly came to her. 'It's something from home, isn't it. From Gallifrey?'

'Yeah,' he whispered. 'Well, sort of.' He turned his head to look at Martha. 'Do you remember when I told you about Gallifreyan children-when they were eight years old?'

Martha stopped pacing. 'Yeah. As if I could ever forget.'

Ten looked away. 'Sorry.'

She shook her head. 'No, I'm sorry. This has nothing to do with the Master, right?'

'Right,' he agreed and then he sighed. 'No. This is to do with me.'

'What is?' asked Rose. 'What are you talking about?'

Martha sat down on the end of Ten and Rose's bed. 'Looking into the Time Vortex... or... or the Untempered Schism.'

Ten looked at Rose then, his eyes wide and earnest. 'Eight-year-old children are made to look into the Schism just before they enter the Time Lord Academy. As I told Martha, some children look fully and become inspired. They... they accept what seems impossible and they become the most adept at seeing time. There are others who can't really handle it. They take one glimpse and run away. They still go into the Academy-it's an initiation, not a pass or fail. But they struggle with understanding time all their lives. And then there are those who are driven mad. Like the Master.'

Rose nodded slowly. 'Yeah... you said something about never having seen it properly as a child.'

'Yeah,' said Ten. 'Could never quite handle it. Muddled along with time well enough though. Maybe because I was never content just to passively watch other species and their time-lines.'

'So, what's this got to do with the NATS?' asked Martha. She leaned over, propping herself up with one arm.

'There was a story-quite common, really-that mothers and fathers would tell to their young children. "If you look into the vortex, and Time accepts you, you will see them. If you are one of the lucky, brave few, you will see them." We all hoped we'd see them when it came our turn.'

'The NATS,' whispered Rose.

'The NATS,' he said. 'I remember hoping, wanting to be one of the favoured ones. But I never saw them. I can only assume that's because I didn't look into the vortex properly.'

'Did the Master see them?' asked Martha slowly.

He looked at her somberly. 'I don't know. He never would say. None of them would. I never could quite decide whether sightings were kept secret, or whether they were just a myth. As the story went, only children newly awakened to Time would see them. Just the once. Perhaps they wanted it to be secret-to keep the mystery.'

'Were you terribly disappointed?' asked Rose.

'Yeah,' he admitted with a lopsided smile.

'So, why appear to you now?' asked Martha.

'Gallifrey's gone,' said Ten. 'The NATS miss being with Time Lords. They're not from Gallifrey, but they loved it, and they loved playing with the children. The more sensitive to time the children were, and that new, raw, untapped time awareness... it was like honey to the NATS.'

'And you looked into the Time Vortex two weeks ago,' said Rose, suddenly. 'You're like those children now. Newly awakened. Still getting used to it.'

Ten nodded, closing his eyes.

'They miss Gallifrey, but they found you,' she continued softly. 'And... and... you miss your home, but... maybe you found a bit of home through them.'

He nodded again, silently and a little jerkily, eyes still closed. On a sudden impulse, Rose wriggled under the covers and propped herself against Ten's pillows. She snuggled against him, laying her hand on his stomach. Soon his hand covered hers, clinging hard.

Martha leaned over and gently laid her hand on Ten's shoulder. 'I won't tell UNIT anything,' she promised. 'And now I think it's time to let you two sleep.'

She stood up, walked to the door and paused, her finger on the light switch. Rose smiled encouragingly at her when she saw her pause, and Martha nodded. She turned off the light and closed the door behind her. Rose heard her footsteps recede and then the sound of the living room door close in its turn.

In the dark, Rose raised her hand and found Ten's jawline. She stroked his cheek gently.

'I'm glad you found the NATS,' she whispered.

'Me too,' he murmured back. She felt him shifting slightly to turn a little towards her and she could feel his breath soft on her face. 'I didn't tell Martha everything.'

'Uh-oh,' said Rose teasingly, but her voice was gentle. 'What is it?'

'They've agreed to never appear to humans again, and to never return to Holy Island. However, there was no mention of other ancient places on Earth.'

'So...' she said, 'they're going to come and go in secret?'

'Only when I'm there.'

'Oh!' she murmured. She found his hand again and squeezed it. 'You'll like that. They'll be happy, yeah?'

'I think so.' He squeezed her hand back. 'I'm all that's left of the vortex children. Even Eleven doesn't have the attraction I do as he's still never looked right into the vortex. The NATS can't follow him in the TARDIS anyways. But they can find me in prehistoric places.'

'So... not old churches, right?' asked Rose. 'You mean like stone circles or barrows or something?'

'Yeah,' he responded and she could feel him nodding slightly. 'And not where people congregate. That's too risky.'

Rose grinned. 'Good thing you didn't tell Martha. UNIT would hate this.'

'Maybe one day,' he murmured. 'But not now with them breathing down her neck. Not fair to put her in that position.'

'No,' she agreed, soberly. 'But...' and her voice lightened. 'NATS... and you. Together! Maybe you don't feel so stuck on the ground now. You have some Time-Lord magic of your own now.'

'I do.' Rose could hear the happiness in his voice. 'I never imagined... just never...' And here his voice became serious, deep and soft. 'The NATS... and you. My Rose... I'm the luckiest being alive. I just never imagined... And when I'm back to normal, we'll make our own... er... Time-Lord-human magic. You just wait and see.'

'You'll never be normal, you goof,' whispered Rose. 'But that's the way I like it. And I'll be here. Always!'

And with that, she wrapped her arm over his chest and kissed him deeply, and he hummed softly in delight and contentment.

_The End_


End file.
